To Protect My Kin
by TB Viking Addict
Summary: In Dallas, Godric doesn't make it to Sookie in time to save her from Gabe & she's dying when he arrives. Sookie convinces Godric not to meet the sun & he decides to turn her. When she rises, they discover Sookie has some extra gifts. Godric decides they need to move closer to his progeny, Eric, for her protection. A Vamp. Sookie Story. Not for Bill fans. Mainly Season 3 plot. [SxE]
1. Chapter 1: Dying in Dallas

**_A/N:_**

 _Hello readers! This is my very first fanfic, so be kind. This story begins in Dallas while Sookie is being attacked by Gabe at the Fellowship of the Sun. I've always liked Godric and thought it would've been a really interesting twist to do something like have him turn Sookie and be both Sookie's and Eric's maker, so that's what I did. Basically, Godric arrives a little too late and Bill and Eric don't show up right at sunset, giving us an extra five minute window that changes everything. The story then jumps a month into the future when Sookie and Godric head back to Area 5. I know this throws off the timeline of the show, so I just inserted a month between the end of Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3. Godric and Sookie needed a month by themselves to get some new abilities under control, so we pick up again a month after her turning, which is actually Episode 1 of Season 3. Bill doesn't disappear until a month after he gets back from Dallas and that's when all the drama starts. Sookie and Godric just happen to arrive right in time for it all._

 _I'm just going to throw in a couple warnings here- I haven't seen Season 3 in over a year at least, so I may be off in the general timeline of events. I may put things one night too early or a night too late. I apologize in advance, but please also keep in mind this story is AU, so don't judge it too harshly. It follows the plot of Season 3, yet in some parts it takes off in wildly other directions. Eric is a little different than what we're used to, but only because I decided to combine badass Viking Sheriff Eric with Amnesia Eric. I felt Sookie really never got to know the real Eric in the show, since she didn't give him a chance after he got his memories back, so you will see his softer side pop up in here. He'll prove Amnesia Eric is very much a part of him. Sookie is also a little different. She's VAMPIRE. I tried to keep the thing that matters most to her, her love and need to protect her family, but now she's more predatory. Godric is a whole new breed. He's been revamped (pun intended) and given a purpose, so he's a much happier version of himself. Finally, I do sprinkle lines from the show all throughout this fic. You should be able to recognize them pretty easily. Some are used the same way, some are not. I usually throw them in because it's either necessary to the plot or it was just great comedy. All right, enjoy!_

 _ **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters or plot of True Blood or the Southern Vampire Mysteries. It all belongs to HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris._

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 **SPOV**

I was dying. I could feel my very life seeping out onto the floor, along with my blood. There wasn't much time left and I found myself cursing my telepathy all over again, but this time I found myself cursing the fact that it wasn't stronger. Instead of cursing the fact I could _hear_ at all, I was cursing the fact I hadn't _heard_ Hugo better. That I hadn't heard what he was really up to. Honestly, I could hear everyone's inner thoughts and secrets and it turned out I was actually a crappy listener… and I was dying because of it. I would've laughed at the irony of it all if I wasn't struggling to breathe.

"I'm going to enjoy this, fangbanger!" Gabe taunted from above me as he yanked my dress above my waist. I pushed fruitlessly at his shoulders, trying to keep him from getting closer, but I knew it was pointless. I couldn't feel my own legs so I found myself wondering in despair if it even mattered anymore, I wouldn't feel it anyway. He made sure of that when he threw me at the cot, snapping my spine, which made this the second time in a year that I'd lost feeling in my legs. The first time my spine snapped was when the Rattrays beat the shit out of me. I thought that fact was funny since Gran used to tell me I had a spine of steel.

Turns out she was wrong.

I snarled at him when he tried to lick my cheek and shoved his face away from mine. He grabbed my hands with his own and squeezed my wrists together above my head while he loosened his belt with his other hand. I whimpered and struggled, and was shocked when he was finally lifted off me. My eyes focused enough to see him hanging a foot off the ground with a vampire's hand wrapped around his throat.

The vampire looked like a teenager, but in reality I could tell by his glow that he was twice as old as Eric. This must've been Godric, the vampire I was looking for. He didn't look like a prisoner, there was no blood on his clothing and he wasn't bound by silver, but I couldn't imagine there were more vampires being held by the Fellowship, so it had to be him.

"Godric?" I asked while wiping tears from my eyes. His own snapped towards mine and confusion crossed his expression for a brief second before he turned back towards Gabe. They both said something to each other but I couldn't hear very clearly anymore. My limbs also started feel heavier and I felt colder, which was made so much worse by the fact that my clothes were wet with blood. I started to shiver as I watched them. Godric looked pissed. He reached up with vampire speed and tore Gabe's head from his neck before tossing his body away from us. I merely blinked. I couldn't find it in me to care what happened to that disgusting piece of trash.

Godric then knelt down beside me, placed one of my hands in his own, and stated, "You're dying." For a second his eyes flashed with emotion. I swore I saw regret in them.

" _I_ _know_ ," I sighed out. Did his lips just twitch? I shook my head and concentrated. "You have to get outta here, Godric. The vampires of Dallas are lookin' for you. I'm sure they'll be here when the sun sets. Get out now, use what happened here to escape," I implored him. My breathing was becoming shallower and I knew I wouldn't last much longer. I focused on Godric again and realized he looked shocked.

"You were here to save me?" I nodded. "Why would you risk yourself for me?"

"Does the risk really matter? If you knew someone needed help and you were in a position to help them, wouldn't _you_?" I asked.

Honestly, did he really think I wouldn't have tried?

He seemed too stunned to answer, so I pleaded with him some more, "Please, Godric, you have to get out of here. They're plannin' on forcing you to meet the sun come dawn. You can't let them win, please just go-"

"I know, it's why I'm here," he said calmly.

He said what now?

"Huh?" I asked dumbly. He shot me another look of confusion so I tried actually using my words, "Then what are you doing here if you know?"

"I planned to meet the sun. I thought I would give Steve Newlin justice for his family and settle things between the Texas vampires and the Fellowship as well. Two birds with one stone so to speak."

"Why?" I hissed. Suddenly I was livid. Of all the stupid, idiotic things I'd seen since I arrived in Dallas, this was by far the most idiotic. Instead of going off on him though, my voice came out small and subdued and I pathetically whimpered out, "Why would you give them your life when they've already taken mine? Why give them the sick satisfaction of killin' you, when they've already killed me? _Where's_ _my_ _justice, Godric_?"

He stayed silent, searching my face for something. I didn't know what he was looking for and when he opened his mouth to reply, I simply talked over him. I was getting tired and I had to get this through his head before I couldn't speak anymore, "Please, Godric. Leave. Don't give into them. If you were givin' them some kind of life for a life deal, then they got it with me. You don't owe them anything, but you do owe me. I came for you and now I'm dying for you. You owe me a life, _and_ _I want_ _ **you**_ _to live_. Don't let my death be for nothing. Get outta here and live." Another tear slipped down my cheek as I spoke. He reached down and caught it with his finger and popped in his mouth. As light-headed as I was, I didn't think this was weird for some reason and smiled. He smiled back before he slipped back into seriousness once again.

"Human tears. Never had I thought I would see human tears when they weren't because I had frightened someone. But you are not frightened of me, are you?" he murmured. No, I wasn't. I was frightened _for_ him and I told him so while I shook my head.

"Do you believe in God?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation. I may have been bleeding out on the floor of a church basement, kidnapped and killed by supposedly church-going people, but I still believed. My faith had always been unshakeable.

"I have committed many sins in my life. I'm responsible for many, many deaths. I came here to atone and ended up with your blood on my hands. So if you're right, how will He punish me?" he asked.

He seemed so sad when he said this, so resigned. I suddenly realized he wasn't going to leave me. He was going to let them kill him if I didn't convince him otherwise. I knew I wasn't far from death. I could close my eyes at this very second and slip away. Just check out. But I couldn't leave Godric like this. I couldn't let him continue to think he'd somehow disappointed God and this was the only way to make it right.

"Godric, God doesn't punish. He forgives," I whispered. His grip tightened slightly on my hand, he closed his eyes, and let out a breath, as if the words I spoke had relieved him of a great burden. "But if you wanna atone for your sins, you're going about it in the wrong way." His eyes shot open again and he looked at me as if I had slapped him.

Somehow I felt even colder than before and I realized with a start that _my body_ was colder, that I'd lost too much blood. I must've been nearing the brink if my body temp was low, so I didn't have much time to get through to Godric. I turned my focus back to him and argued, "If you want forgiveness, you already have it. But if you wanna show you're sorry, the only way to do that is through your actions. You need to show that you've changed by the way you _live_ , by what you do with your life. Suicide would never, ever be somethin' God would condone."

"But we don't belong here. Vampires aren't right. We shouldn't be here," he protested. He sounded more like a child trying to understand a much more difficult concept, like evolution, than a vampire who was thousands of years old.

"People have said the same thing about me my entire life. I'm telepathic. I can read human minds," I responded tiredly. His mouth dropped open in astonishment. "But I truly believe that if we shouldn't exist, we _wouldn't_. God is the creator, Godric, and if we weren't right or shouldn't be here, He simply wouldn't have created us. We're all here for a reason. He created us with a purpose in mind. And I think part of mine was ending up here, to help you. So you need to get outta here, you need to leave. More importantly, you need to live."

I let him absorb that for a moment while I took a deep, needed breath. My breath was coming out in smaller pants now and I felt like the walls were closing in on me. Godric needed to live. I couldn't fail in this. I needed him to live so my death would mean something, so I didn't die for nothing. Eric needed Godric to live too. I didn't know why, but this was important to him. He came all the way from Louisiana to offer help to look for Godric, so there was something else going on here. On top of that, Eric was too emotional about this, he snapped at the others at the nest too easily. This was important to him for some reason and if I was going to die, then I wanted to help someone I knew while I did. I wanted to help them both. If I could help Eric and save Godric, then maybe my death would mean something. It had to _mean_ _something_.

I closed my eyes for a second and felt more tears slip pass. When I opened them again, the expression on Godric's face had changed. He stared at me in awe and seemed to look less desperate. I felt hope swell inside me for the first time since I had been thrown in the basement.

"What is your name, child?"

"Sookie, Sookie Stackhouse," I gasped out. I literally had to force myself to breathe, so I knew my death was just hovering on the horizon. I'd slip away any minute now.

"Sookie," he said, staring at me intently, "you spend your last moments trying to save my life, what if you could save your own?"

Huh?

I guess my bafflement made it to my face because he took pity on me and explained with a small smile, "I am vampire, Sookie. My blood has healing qualities. If your injuries weren't so severe, I would've healed you immediately. You have a broken spine, broken ribs, several bruises, and you've been stabbed. If I were to feed you my blood, you would still die. I cannot save you from death. But… I can make you vampire."

I was stunned. I hadn't thought of that. I was dying with a vampire at my side and I hadn't even realized he could potentially save me. By the amused look on his face, he knew I was just now realizing it. The question now was, did I want to be a vampire? I'd seriously never thought about it before. Sure, I was dating Bill, but neither of us had ever brought up turning me. An alarm went off at the back of my mind but I stifled it. It didn't matter if Bill would've turned me or not, because the point was I wouldn't live another hour if Godric didn't turn me. Should I let him? I would never age, never have children, never eat human food, never see the sun again… but I would never do any of those things again even if I didn't let him turn me. On the other hand, while it was true I would have to drink blood and eventually watch my loved ones age and die, at least I would be around to see them again. I would be able to speak with them again, to be a part of their lives. I would be around to watch over them and protect them, strong enough to keep them safe. I would never grow old, but I would always be around to take care of them. I would-

"Sookie, you just told me everyone has a purpose," he said, interrupting my internal ramblings. "You came here and saved me from the true death. You believe doing this was a part of your purpose. I believe turning you is a part of mine. I felt the pull to be your maker when I first laid eyes on you, but I felt it wouldn't be fair to create another vampire when I no longer wished to exist. You have changed my mind. You have saved me, now let me save you, child."

I swallowed thickly and started to violently shake. It wasn't from fear though. I was just losing control of my body.

"I will be your father, your brother, and your son. I will teach you everything I know about being a vampire and walk with you through the ages, if you let me. And I think you will teach me a great deal as well," he said before he paused and leaned closer, squeezing my trembling hand as he did so. "I can sense your spark of life fading, if you want to be turned, you must tell me so now."

I took another breath and looked at him hard. He would be a good maker. He was a good man. We could save each other. I didn't have time to debate the pros and cons anymore, but when it ultimately came down to it, the bottom line was that I wasn't ready to die. I wanted to live. More than anything, I wanted to go home again. I wanted to see my brother and my friends again. They were my family and I wasn't ready to let them go.

"Okay. Turn me," I barely spoke the words when an alarm started blaring and all the lights started flashing. We'd have to hurry now, because they obviously must've realized Godric was free. I tore my eyes away from the lights and looked back to Godric's face.

He nodded and smiled at me and it felt completely natural to smile back. He then leaned forward and gently slid his fangs into my neck and drank. After a couple gulps (I guess there wasn't much blood left to drain), he pulled back and bit into his wrist before bringing it to my lips. His blood tasted nothing like Bill's. It was so much sweeter, like fruit punch instead of that icky, metallic copper taste, and yet so much more powerful. I could literally feel the age in it, the years that had passed. I gulped down as much as fast as I could before everything went black.

As my eyelids fell closed, he spoke again. The last thing I heard was Godric whispering in my ear, "In three days you will rise as my progeny, Sookie. Thank you."

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 _ **A/N:**_

 _Hey all! So if you've read this before, you'll notice some minor changes. A couple reviewers pointed out to me that there's another fic on the web that turned out to be incredibly similar to this one. It was written by Kjwrit, and she did start writing hers before me. I just read her version of Sookie's turning today and both stories were just too close, so I went through and changed a couple lines. It's still similar, but not as much as before. She's a really fantastic writer if you wanna check her out._


	2. Chapter 2: Blood Connections

_A/N:_

 _[1]Hello fabulous followers. We're about to get into some things hinted at on the show but not something given to us in any detail- bonds. If you haven't heard about bonds, it's an extremely strong, permanent connection in the blood that allows two vampires (or a vampire/human pairing) to share emotions. We have maker/child bonds, blood ties, and then bonding. The common thing between them all? It's all about emotions and emotional exchange. The magic in a vampire's blood allows them to sense and send emotions when someone drinks from them. There's a later chapter where I explain the differences between the three (at least MY differences, my take on it), but for this chapter I just wanted to explain to those who have seen the show but haven't read the books what the most basic thing about a bond is- emotional exchange._

 _[2]I put in my summary this story is not for Bill fans, so if you're holding out hope for Bill, you probably should find a different story now. Bill had a blood tie with Sookie, not a bond, but in my story, a blood tie still allows you to push and influence emotions, which means Bill fans are about to read something they won't like if they continue._

 _[3]This is a Sookie/Eric romance. Godric is glued to our favorite telepath, but not literally at the hip! Just a warning if you're hoping for S/G or S/G/E._

 _[4]Last note! I have a crap load of this already written but I didn't split it up into chapters, so that's why I haven't posted more yet. I'm trying to decided where the best places to split this story up into chapters are. This is my first fanfic and I'm still learning- maybe you guys can help me out with something... anybody know the word limit for posting chapters? Right now I'm shooting between 3-5k, but anybody out there know the actual limit?_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or plot of True Blood or the Southern Vampire Mysteries. Alan Ball, HBO, and Charlaine Harris own it all. I'm just playing with their barbies and using their dream house._

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SPOV

 **Two days later…**

Dirt. I was covered in it. I could smell the deep, earthy scent of soil all over me and feel it blanketing my body. Surprisingly, it felt really good. It was soft, powdery, caressed me with warmth and, as I stretched out my body, I felt completely at ease. I was only confused about where I was for a second before it all came rushing back. Dallas, the Fellowship, Gabe, Godric.

I was a vampire now.

I focused on my surroundings and realized at once that I had been buried, which was typical, according to Bill, so I didn't freak out over it. I reached out with my mind to see if anyone was around before I attempted to claw my way out of the earth. There was somebody nearby, I could feel his mind, but this mind felt different than any other mind I had ever encountered before. The thoughts seemed faster, hundreds of times quicker than a normal human mind and he could also think things simultaneously. The thoughts in his mind moved about like a pit of snakes, several things were moving through his mind at once and they almost felt colder to me, which was ironic since the tenor of his thoughts was very, very warm. I couldn't understand exactly what he was thinking, since he thought in a different language, but I could still get a feel for his thoughts. He was excited. He was remembering the last time he had turned someone, a woman named Nora, and was wondering how his new child would react... Oh, he was thinking about me! It was Godric!

Not my smartest moment.

As I thought of Godric, the bond between us seemed to come alive. Bill tried to describe it once, but nothing he said could be compared to what I was feeling now. I could literally feel Godric's excitement as if it were my own. I could feel his anticipation, his nerves, his affection for me, and his protective instincts flaring to life. It felt as if I had grown another limb, almost as I had developed a sixth sense for all things Godric (or was it a seventh since I had telepathy?). I could still separate his feelings from my own but I had never felt so _connected_ to anyone before. And the way he felt for me was the way he would feel for a mother, a sister, and a daughter. It was amazing and feeling all those emotions directed at me made me simultaneously want to purr and reach out and stroke him. So I reached out and stroked the bond instead while I started to dig my way out of my grave. I felt Godric emotionally shiver and then his mirth erupted in my veins which had me giggling in amusement as my hand finally struck open air. Godric wrapped his own in mine and pulled me the rest of the way out.

We both chuckled for a couple more seconds before Godric took an unneeded breath and said, "Well, Sookie, I have turned two others besides you and I must say that your reaction is a first for me. Though I am quite impressed with how quickly you picked up the bond, that's also a first for me. My other children couldn't do something like that for weeks."

I could read from his mind that he had expected me to be more violent when I first woke. He was surprised I hadn't lashed out yet or freaked out after realizing I'd been buried, he was also stunned I had stroked him through the bond. And he thought it was hilarious. Through the bond I could feel that he was amazed at my reactions to waking up and proud of how quickly I learned how to manipulate the connection between us. In all my life I had never felt such positive emotions directed at me, so I launched myself with incredible speed at Godric and hugged him while flooding the bond with gratitude.

I managed to stun him again. Slowly, as if he was afraid I might break, he wrapped his arms around me and gently squeezed me.

"Yes," he murmured, "this is definitely a first for me."

I pulled back slowly and beamed at him. He studied me with curiosity and a little trepidation as he pushed some hair back behind my ear.

"I expected you to be angry with me. You died because of me, and yet you don't seem to have any anger directed towards me at all," he commented, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. I just smiled again.

"Godric, I lived because of you, not died because of you. I'm grateful that not only did you save my life, but that you didn't meet the sun," as I said this, my own protective instincts rushed forwards and Godric chuckled at my reaction. "Don't get me wrong, I'm pissed I had to die at all, I would probably attack Gabe, Hugo, and Steve Newlin if I had the opportunity, and I'll probably snap at some point, but I don't think it's gonna happen at the moment. Right now I'm too grateful to be alive."

"Undead."

"Whatever," I said and sent him the equivalent of an emotional eye-roll. His lips kicked up once more and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and started guiding me out of the park we were in. Was it a park? No, we appeared to be in some random, wild plot of land. He led me out of the wilderness and over to the passenger side of a spiffy new silver beamer along the side of the rode. After opening the door for me, he opened the back door and reached in for something while I brushed as much dirt off me as possible before I sat down. He closed the door and walked back towards my side before squatting down in front of me. I realized he was holding a cooler full of blood as soon as he opened it and the delectable aroma reached my nose. My fangs slammed down before I had even realized what the aroma was and my eyes zeroed in on the blood. Godric froze, looked up at me, and a little thrill ran through him that was echoed through the bond, he then smiled and slowly reached into the cooler and pulled out a bag of blood for me.

"You look every inch the predator, Sookie. A beautiful, dangerous predator."

I wasn't sure how I felt about a comment like that, but since I could feel Godric's pride radiating through the bond, I decided it was a compliment. It was like he was calling me badass. I didn't contemplate why that felt so gratifying long before the blood was in my hands and my fangs were buried in the bag.

"The blood you're drinking is AB positive. It's my favorite and is typically the favorite of everyone in the bloodline. Like maker, like progeny for some reason. I figured there's a good chance this will be your favorite as well, but I brought a type of each so you can try them all for yourself. I left them in the car while we were buried, so they could be fresher, but it looks like you enjoy it anyways," he added with a smile.

I moaned and nodded. It was delicious! He gave me four more bags before I was able to truly focus on what he was actually saying. It was only then that I realized Godric was also covered in dirt. I had risen after him, so I hadn't realized he went to rest with me. Godric followed the direction of my gaze and nodded.

"Yes, I went to ground with you. In the future, when you become a maker one day, you should bury yourself with your child. It helps to strengthen the bond and keeps your progeny from panicking when they rise. However, your progenies must rise by themselves. If they cannot rise, it is an indicator that something has gone wrong with the transition. You can either wait until they rise and then follow them out or rise first and wait. I wanted the first thing you saw with your vampire eyes to be me, so I rose before you." I was touched he did that for me and sent him my gratitude. He smiled at me again and asked, "Which blood was your favorite?"

I looked at all the bags in the cooler and separated the scents as I leafed through them. I stopped on my favorite and pulled it out.

"B negative. It seemed a little sweeter than the rest," I answered truthfully.

"Interesting, that is Eric's favorite too. Everyone else that I know in our bloodline prefers AB positive, I wonder why you two are different," he trailed off when he looked back up at me. I had frozen the second he said "Eric." Eric Northman's image had also popped up in Godric's thoughts as well. I was too stunned to move.

I guess now I knew why finding Godric was so important to him.

"What is it, Sookie? It doesn't matter what type of blood you prefer," he asked with concern. He pulled the empty bag from my hands and stuffed it back in the cooler before reaching up and cupping my cheeks. I imagined if my heart still beat, the blood would've drained from my face.

"Eric Northman is part of our bloodline?" I finally asked. Godric's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and understanding dawned on him.

"Yes, Eric was the first I turned, he's my eldest progeny. I turned him over a thousand years ago," he paused a second, analyzing what this meant and how I must've known Eric. "He sent you to the Fellowship, didn't he? Then you were his asset?" he asked me. I simply nodded. We both paused, contemplating what this meant for a moment before mirth erupted on both sides of our bond and we laughed.

Godric pulled back and shut the door before vamping to the driver's side and starting the car, still chuckling as he did so. He looked at me and smiled a wide, genuine smile before admitting, "I like the idea of my eldest progeny sending my youngest to me. I also like that he has no idea."

"Please don't tell him without me there, it's not often I know something he doesn't," I pleaded. He nodded and I smiled wickedly in response. He chuckled again when he felt a sense of revenge and anticipation coming from me in the bond.

"What did he do to you?" he asked. "Hit on you?"

"Mercilessly," I responded. Godric chuckled again.

"Unsurprising. You are extremely beautiful, Sookie," he said and I blushed emotionally. He chuckled and sent me affection. "You know, Sookie, I have a feeling you and I are going to have a lot of fun together. I've already laughed more tonight than I have in several years. Though I have to admit that could be because I feel lighter than before, less burdened now that I have a new purpose, which is to teach and protect you. To make sure you become an incredible vampire. I can feel through my blood though how fiery and mischievous you are, and I find it very entertaining."

That made me pause for a second while I analyzed my own emotions. I quickly realized vampire blood was very different from human blood. It told me things about myself that normal blood simply couldn't do. It was like the magic in our blood responded to our very essences and reported back like researchers on a fact-finding mission. I could tell through my blood that I would never kill for the sake of killing or out of fun, I valued life too much for that and my blood recognized it. My blood also told me that I would, however, kill to protect what is mine- which extended to my family, friends, and bloodline. I felt particularly possessive and protective over my bloodline, including Pam and Eric, much to my surprise. And I was, indeed, fiery and mischievous, which I found odd.

I knew I was fiery and quick to stand up for what I thought was right and what I believed (hence why I slapped a thousand year old vampire and demanded he let Lafayette go) but I had never thought of myself as mischievous before. It felt like becoming vampire had awakened another part of me though because I had several scenarios going through my head at the moment on how to get the funniest reactions from Eric and Pam when we revealed I was now vampire. It was like something had suddenly sparked to life within me and was searching for amusement. Surprisingly enough, Godric was running similar scenarios in his own mind.

Once I caught Godric's train of thought, I focused my blood on him. He had to consume my blood to turn me, so I was able to send my blood on a "Godric fact-finding mission." My blood signaled back to me that he did, indeed, feel like he had a new purpose. Whereas before he felt tired and drained, as if two thousand years were enough, now he felt re-energized and ready to start anew. He was excited to teach me and see the world through my eyes. He thought I was now his main priority but realized he needed to reconnect with the rest of his bloodline. It occurred to him that his withdrawal from their lives had led to his depression and probably hurt them as well and he wanted to fix it. I could also feel he was generally humorous and amusing. It made me equally excited to begin my vampire life under his wing.

"Speakin' of Eric, did you contact him? Let him know you got free of the Fellowship? What happened after I bit the dust?"

He looked at me with confusion.

"I mean died. What happened after I died?" I asked with a giggle.

"Oh," he chuckled too. "After you bit the dust, the alarms sounded. I gathered you up and fled from the building. The sun had set right before the alarms were triggered so I was able to get you out quickly. I took us to a safe house, called my nest and told them I escaped with your help but that you had died in the process, resigned my position as sheriff, cleaned you up, and buried the both of us. The transition went very well and you rose a day early. Rising early indicates that you will grow to be a powerful vampire, Sookie. The longer one stays in the ground, the weaker they will be when they rise. Additionally, you managed to drink quite a bit of my blood, which will add to your strength as well. You're still a newborn, strength-wise, yet you will be stronger than most newborns because of the amount you were able to drink and the age of my blood."

Well, well. I may have felt a little too smug about that, which Godric was aware of since he chuckled again.

"You resigned as sheriff? Why? And you didn't tell me if you spoke to Eric, he was worried. Of course I didn't know his MAKER had gone missin' and he tried to play it off like he was doing Texas a big favor, but I could tell how stressed he was. He needs to know you're okay, you need to let him know you're okay," I said in a rush.

Godric tore his eyes from the road once again to look at me. He searched my eyes for a moment and his eyebrow shot up while he analyzed my questions. He was also tugging on the bond, like he was trying to wring answers from it. His entire demeanor left me baffled but I kept quiet and, since he was sifting through the bond for something, I decided to help him and opened my side of the bond as much as I could. His lips kicked up again and I could feel he was very intrigued by my reaction to his moment of bond searching, but felt encouraged nonetheless and really dug into it like he was mining for gold. I couldn't help but wonder if this was what a serious fact-finding mission in my blood felt like, but I wanted to help him find whatever he was looking for so I would get the answers I was waiting for.

Finally, he narrowed his focus on my ambivalent feelings towards Eric and delved deeper into them like he could find the answer to world peace if he could just make sense of them. Honestly though, if he could make sense of them, I would greatly appreciate it if he could let me in on exactly how I did feel towards Eric Northman, because I didn't have a clue myself. He tensed for a moment and then finally relaxed. Apparently whatever he found cleared something up for him, but left me more confused than ever. He realized this as a sense of injustice flooded through my side of the bond and mirth and amusement poured into his. It felt as if I had whined, "Not fair!" and he had burst into a fit of giggles.

"I was analyzing your feelings about Eric. When you said his name, I could feel both positive and negative reactions from you and I needed to know if you had serious issues with Eric because I plan for us to stay in his area," he shot a glance my way as he spoke but ultimately kept focused on the road. "You'll have to tell me about your relationship with him at some point since you're a pretty decisive person and it is odd for you to feel so… uncertain and ambivalent about someone. This I can tell from your blood. I can also tell you don't know Eric as well as you'd like to, and I want to assure you that Eric's actually a good man. He wears a mask in his area, around those he cannot trust, and it's hard for him to put trust in anyone.'

"What you said about not knowing I was his maker, I could tell you were offended he kept that from you. I agree with you. He should've told you, that was an important fact and you needed to know in order to do your job correctly. You could've gotten my assistance faster if I had known Eric sent you, but I was hesitant to approach you since I didn't know you were looking for me. Without you telling me you knew Eric, I still would've been hesitant to approach you. You were almost raped because of my hesitance. Unfortunately, Eric can be somewhat high-handed. Instead of telling people everything he could in case he knows something that would additionally benefit them to know, he only tells them what he feels they _should_ know. He limits the facts, and not knowing enough can be just as dangerous as knowing too much." He smiled sadly when he felt my blood silently agree.

"So, to answer you: no, I haven't spoken to Eric and yes, I did resign. I no longer wish to be Sherriff and plan to utilize the time resigning has freed up teaching you. I had to get back to you and get us in the ground quickly and, if I spoke to Eric, he would've delayed me for more details. Normally, I would've opened the bond so he could feel I was all right, but if I did that, he would've felt your presence through his bond with me and I didn't have time to explain what it meant. I had to bury us quickly. I could open the bond now, but you mentioned that you would like to be there when I tell him he has a new vampire sister, correct?" he asked and smiled innocently when I choked at the word "sister."

Being Eric Northman's sister made me panic. I didn't entirely understand why I would panic at the suggestion but I did. Godric flooded me with calm until I relaxed and took a breath. He had a comically innocent expression on his face, which just baffled me even more.

"Sookie," he said with more seriousness than his expression showed. "Eric may be your vampire brother," he paused again to chuckle and flood me with more calm before continuing, "but being vampire siblings is very, very different than being human siblings. You share none of the same genetics, you can't have children anyway, and it isn't looked down upon to have a relationship with your vampire sibling. If you find you want to engage in a sexual relat-"

"Godric!" I shouted while covering my ears. "Please, no more! I don't wanna talk about anything sexual with Eric at the moment. Besides, I have…" my voice nearly became inaudible as I continued, "a boyfriend."

"You do?" he asked, surprised. I nodded, absentmindedly. I was too busy thinking about Bill. I mean, I was thinking about what I wasn't _feeling_ about Bill. Before I was turned, I was convinced I was absolutely in love with him. I would've done anything for him, now I wasn't even sure if I liked him. Actually, I was pretty pissed at him still for hiding Jessica, dumping her off on Eric and Pam, then leaving her with me and snarling at me for taking her to see her parents when he did. I was human, how was I supposed to know how she would react? In fact, I was also incredibly pissed I got attacked by the maenad on his watch. I currently felt no _love_ for Bill at all.

Godric looked puzzled for a moment too, as if he could sense I had no strong feelings or romantic attachments towards anyone. Suspicion started to leak into the bond and Godric asked me very cautiously if Bill was a vampire. I nodded slowly, still baffled, when white, hot fury rampaged towards me from Godric. My fangs dropped, I clenched my fists, and my jaw twitched while I focused on calming myself down. I realized that wouldn't work pretty quickly (after all, I wasn't the one who was angry) and instead injected as much calm as I could into the bond. He slowly relaxed and shot me a sheepish look while he sent me an ocean's worth of gratitude.

"Godric, why did Bill being a vampire make you so angry?" I asked hesitantly.

He kept a neutral expression on his face, but the bond was still radiating with his anger, when he answered, "It wasn't the fact that he's vampire, it's your lack of emotions towards him and your confusion over your own lack of emotions. In fact, if anything you dislike your boyfriend, and I can feel this puzzles you even more." I nodded, reluctantly agreeing with his assessment. "Has this Bill ever explained the side effects of vampire blood to you?"

"Yes, he explained that he would be able to find me if I was in danger, heal me, and… uh… the blood would increase my libido?" I added the last part in a high-pitched I'm-going-to-die-of-embarrassment squeak. I braced myself for his laughter again but instead was smacked with an avalanche of fury. My eyes grew big as I watched him fighting for control. While he fought with himself, I realized what Godric was suggesting with his questions.

Bill either lied to me about the effects of vampire blood or didn't tell me everything.

Now that I was a vampire myself, I could literally feel some of the things our blood was capable of. So, yes he would be able to find me and know if I was I was in danger… because he would be able to sense EVERY emotion I had as I was having it.

I no longer felt any emotions that were remotely positive towards Bill, which meant Bill had been doing what Godric and I had been doing since I rose, sending me and influencing my emotions.

Nothing with Bill was real. Everything was a lie. Every single one of my emotions couldn't be trusted because Bill had freaking influenced them.

I thought I loved him. Instead he had fostered some kind of blood-induced illusion of a relationship. And whenever I started doubting our relationship, he found a reason to tap a vein.

And yes, my sex drive had been drastically affected, but only towards Bill Compton. He _made sure_ I was attracted to him.

He took my virginity from me knowing I had no true feelings for him. He was just as bad as a rapist.

Betrayal and disgust burned through me like waves of slow moving molten lava and my fangs dropped from the pain and fury. I whimpered under the intensity of it. I had no idea vampires could feel so strongly.

Godric immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road, got out of the car, and vamped over to my door. He pulled me out of the car and swept me up into an embrace, tucking my head into his neck and rocked me slowly from foot to foot while he pushed support, strength, affection, and tranquility into our bond. He spoke quietly in my ear about how proud he was to have me as a progeny, how amazed he was at how much control I had, how intelligent and beautiful he thought I was, and how Bill was an idiot for hurting someone as precious as Godric thought me to be. He told me he was going to teach me to be a warrior, that he could tell I had the spirit of a warrior when he first saw me, but now he was going to train me to conquer idiots like Bill Compton and recognize it when people were attempting to manipulate me. He was going to teach me to turn the tables on them. Basically, he would teach me to be the predator instead of the prey. I was okay with that. In fact, I was damned excited though still conflicted about Bill.

"Godric, why though? Why did he do this to me? Why did he manipulate me into fallin' in love with him?" I whimpered. I couldn't wait for him to teach me and hoped to get some justice where Bill was concerned. What Bill did was wrong on so many different levels, but I couldn't understand _why_ he had done what he'd done. Why force someone into a relationship if what they're feeling isn't real? What kind of satisfaction would someone get from a relationship like that?

He sighed sadly before he responded, "I honestly don't know, Sookie. It could be because he knew your blood would be delicious from your scent and wanted you for his own. It could have to do with your telepathy- you were a great asset and many vampires would slaughter each other to use your talent if they could get away with it. Or Bill could've been sent by someone higher up in our hierarchy. He could've been sent to procure you for his queen, or the AVL, or someone within the Authority but became addicted to either your blood or your beautiful character. There are too many possibilities, but I promise you that we will find out. Okay?"

I nodded. Godric wiped my tears off my cheeks with his thumbs and placed them in his mouth to lick the blood off. He closed his eyes and groaned a little before apologizing.

"Sorry, they're still delicious, even though I drained you of most your blood it tastes like your body has somehow converted the flavor back to the original taste of your blood. Instead of tasting like my blood with a hint of yours, it tastes like mainly yours with a hint of mine." He stilled for a second, contemplating the taste of my blood.

"In fact, it tastes more potent, which could be very dangerous. We'll have to keep an eye on how others react around you," he warned.

That was all I needed, I though with exasperation. My blood already attracted way too much attention from vampires. In fact, it may have led to Bill forcing his blood on me and manipulating me into feeding him and sleeping with him. The last thing I needed was to be even more appealing to vampires. If I tasted that good, they would be tempted to capture me and hold me prisoner so they could drain me and keep an endless supply of my blood around. I wished with every fiber of my being I could mask my scent, just bottle it all up and put a cork in it. That way, vampires would never know I had delicious blood-

"What'd you just do, Sookie?" Godric asked. He held my shoulders with his hands and sniffed the air. His eyes widened and leaned in to run his nose along my neck, scenting me more.

"Godric!" I laughed out, "Stop! That tickles!" He took another drag of eau de Sookie and pulled back to stare at me open-mouthed.

"Sookie! What'd you do? A second ago you smelled more potent than when your blood was all over the Fellowship floor and now your scent has disappeared entirely! What'd you do? How'd you do it?" he asked again. He was freaking me out a little and staring at me like I had the keys to the universe. He sensed my discomfort and sent me a wave of calm while I tried to gather myself.

All I could think of was wishing to mask my scent. Could it be that simple? Was that a vampire ability?

"I was freaking about how attractive my scent would be to other vampires- especially if Bill tried to make me into some sort of blood slave just because I smelled good," his face softened while I spoke and he gently ran his hand over my hair. His eyes hardened with my next words and the bond screamed his agreement when I added, "I was thinkin' that with a more potent scent other vampires may try to capture me and hold me prisoner for my blood, so I wished I could mask my scent. I wished I could bottle it all up and put a cork in it. Is that a vampire trait? Can other vampires do that?"

He shook his head while he contemplated my new little trick, but kept running his hand through my hair. He deliberated for a moment until it felt like a lightbulb went off in the bond and his hand froze.

"As far as I know, no vampires can mask their scents like this," he confessed. "In fact, I have only personally meant one being with this ability in my 2,000 years, but I can think of no other supernatural with this capability. He was Fae."

"Fae?" I repeated, confused. "What's that?"

"A fairy," he explained. When I snorted, he chuckled too. "It's true. He was a fairy, and he could mask his scent. It would explain several things about you, Sookie, if you are part fairy. Your scent, your delicious blood, the ability to mask your scent, and even your telepathy are all Fae characteristics. I don't believe you're full fairy, or I wouldn't have been able to control myself around your blood and would've drained you instantly. Eric wouldn't have been able to be around you either without biting you. I believe you must be a hybrid, which means somewhere in your ancestry is a fairy. From the dilution of your blood when you died, I would say it had to be a grandparent or a great-grandparent, but since you have telepathy and the ability to mask your scent, it appears you have the essential spark."

I listened to him explain this completely dumb-founded. Fairy? Really? I mean, what the Fae?!

"I'm a _fairy?_ Like Tinkerbelle? How fucking lame," I retorted with disbelief.

Apparently, Godric knew his Disney characters because he let out a full-bellied laugh. The sound of which had the ends of my mouth kicking up involuntarily. I could tell it was a rare sound and I was oddly pleased with myself that I got him to laugh so hard.

"Fairies look nothing like Tinkerbelle," he explained once he caught a breath he didn't need. "They look like normal human beings, but they're very, very beautiful. A full-blooded fairy will attract the attention of hundreds of people as they walk by. The only thing besides their beauty that sets them apart physically from humans is that they normally have slightly pointed ears. They are highly magical beings and, as far as I know, their abilities include telepathy, teleportation, the ability to mask their scents, shield their presences, and manipulate the elements based on what type of Fae they are."

I drew my eyebrows together in confusion about the elements so he went on to explain it to me further, "For example, the water Fae can control floods and the like, the earth Fae can manipulate plants and speak to trees, the fire Fae obviously have control over the flame, and the sky Fae can harness sunlight in the palm of their hands and manipulate light."

"Wow," I said, a little too stunned to speak.

"Yes, wow," Godric agreed. "I would've thought that your spark would've died with your body, but that doesn't appear to be the case. What about your telepathy? Do you think you can still read minds?"

I needlessly cleared my throat and responded in the affirmative. He would be able to tell if I lied, besides I trusted him, so I told him the truth, "Yes. Actually, it's stronger. I can, uh, I can read your mind now too. I can read vampires now."

This time it was Godric who was shocked. He completely froze and stared at me with his mouth open. The longer he stood there, the more nervous I became.


	3. Chapter 3: Trust Issues

_A/N:_

 _[1] You guys are awesome. I've just read the reviews from my first chapter and I had to tell you all I love you! Way to make a first time fanfic writer feel welcomed._

 _[2] Next chapter we see a Sookie and Eric reunion and everything gets a lot more entertaining. This chapter and the last one were really necessary to show us what's different with Sookie and what she and Godric have planned until they move to Eric's area. The pace changes a bit when we get back to Louisiana and you'll get a glimpse of Sookie as the predator. Actually, the next chapter is one of my favorites so I hope you like it too._

 _[3] Yes, Sookie rose with an innate control over the bond and her blood. If you guys are wondering why she can control it like she does, it's because Sookie is all about emotions. She's Fae and fairies have very intense emotions, so her fairy nature and vampire nature came together and gifted her this control. It is a vampire gift._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or plots of True Blood and the Southern Vampire Mysteries. Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO do. Lucky mother truckers._

* * *

"I can't understand what you're thinking," I rushed to explain. "You think in a different language so I don't exactly know what you're thinking, but I get images from your head and how you feel about certain things in your thoughts. When you thought of Eric, I saw him in your mind so I knew you were specifically speakin' about Eric Northman…" I trailed off when I realized he was currently thinking about how I would be hunted if other vampires found out I could hear them. When he started to picture me in captivity or being staked, I slammed my shields down and received another very big shock.

I had complete control over my telepathy now. It seemed as if my turning had not only strengthened my ability, but strengthened my shields as well. They felt as if they were strong, sturdy, and made of silver. Godric's thoughts bounced right back off them and not a single image or emotion slipped through. Being turned may have been the best choice I ever made, in regards to my telepathy at least.

"Godric?" He seemed to snap out of thoughts when I called his name and focused on me again. "Um, it looks like my shields are stronger too. I use shields to limit the amount of thoughts I can hear, but I never really mastered them. They're stronger now. I can tune your thoughts out completely. I can finally give myself complete silence, which is a first for me," I added. A relieved tear slid down my cheek and Godric immediately caught it before popping it in his mouth. He then embraced me and softly patted my hair again.

He kept his voice soft as he spoke to me while pushing as much reassurance and comfort into the bond as he could, so much so that I would've slid to the ground into a relaxed Sookie-sized puddle if he wasn't holding me, and murmured, "Sookie, this is extraordinary. I never thought I'd have such a talented progeny. Don't worry. I'll protect you from other vampires. I'm one of the oldest on this continent and there are very few vampires in the world who can best me physically or mentally. With the ability to mask your scent and your stronger shields, we can keep others from knowing you can read vampire thoughts and that you are Fae. On top of that, we'll move into Eric's area for more protection. You'll have two of the most powerful vampires in the world protecting you. I planned for us to live close to Eric anyway since he would add another layer of protection while you're young. This just makes that plan even more necessary.'

"My other progeny, Nora, is a chancellor for the Authority. Besides the supernatural council, the Authority is the highest level of vampire government. The AVL is the public face of the Authority. I will have her keep an eye out for your name, and if it ever comes up, we'll be aware and take care of the situation before any vampires get word of your abilities."

I picked up hesitation in the bond when he spoke of Nora, so I pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

He grimaced slightly and answered my implied question, "I didn't feel the pull to become Nora's maker. Eric found Nora while we were in England. She was a very compassionate person and she caught the black plague while taking care of the poor who were ill. She was the King's consort and a noblewoman. Eric thought her nature was very honorable and brought her to me and begged me to save her. I agreed to do so and though I love Nora, I'm not always completely confident in her trustworthiness. She's heavily involved in vampire politics and if she goes too long without word from her bloodline, she gets too caught up in power struggles and manipulations. When I speak to Nora about you, I won't tell her everything. I will not let her know you can read vampire minds or that you are Fae. If she ever finds out, I'll command her to never use that information, because I do fear she'll be tempted by it. I realize none of what I said will give you much reason to have faith in Nora, so just have faith in me. I'll never let Nora use you or information about you for anything except your protection, understand?"

I nodded. He was right. I had absolutely no faith in Nora from Godric's description, so instead I pushed my faith and absolute trust in Godric into our bond. He smiled warmly and delight rippled across our connection.

"Okay, there's one thing I do have to do that I'm afraid you won't like. I promise you though, I'll only ever do this for your protection, if I feel one of us are in danger, or if I feel you are dangerous to others," he vowed. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline with this tidbit, but I quickly understood as he continued to speak, "As your maker, I command you to never tell anyone you are part fairy or can read vampire minds unless I give you permission to so, not even in a life or death situation. As your maker I command you to never reveal any other Fae abilities we discover either, unless I give you permission to do so. You may use these abilities in a life or death situation or around those I give you permission to tell, but never explain them to anyone without my permission, understand?"

I felt the commands take hold and, strangely, I felt safer. Now I couldn't reveal my gifts even by mistake. I sent my feeling of security to him with a grateful smile while I answered, "Yes, Godric. I understand. Actually, I'm grateful for that command. I would hate to be killed because I couldn't keep my mouth shut."

Godric chuckled and leaned in to give me another hug before leading me back to the car. I could tell he enjoyed hugging me. I knew vampires weren't very physical, but it seemed like Godric was going to take advantage of my more affectionate nature. It made me smile.

"Sookie?" he said as he shut his own door. I turned to look at him with a smile. "I give you permission to tell Eric about your ancestry and abilities. I trust him with my life and yours. You can tell him in your own time, but eventually I believe he'll have to know these things because I need his help to keep you safe. I know you don't feel like you can trust him, but you can. I promise you this."

"Okay, Godric," I said softly. "You've known him for a thousand years. I've known him for a few months, I believe you and if you say he's trustworthy, I'll trust him too." He smiled at me again and sent me a wave of gratefulness sprinkled with affection.

"I think one of the reasons I feel so ambivalent towards him has to do with being his asset. It feels like he wanted to take advantage of my telepathy, and that has me hesitant to trust him," I confessed. Godric immediately understood where I was coming from and pushed reassurance towards me.

"How did he find out about your ability?" he asked.

"I went to his club to ask some questions. I found out two girls who had been murdered in town had recently been fed on by vampires and thought maybe they had been targeted at Fangtasia. My brother was being investigated for the murders and I wanted to clear Jason's name. While I was there, I overheard an undercover cop and realized they were about to raid the club. There was a vampire feedin' on someone in the bathroom and I didn't wanna get stuck in Fangtasia the entire night being drilled by police, so I told Eric about the cop. He led us out of the bar through the back. I guess he figured out I was telepathic and he summoned me to Fangtasia a couple days later," I summarized for him. Godric looked fascinated. He wanted to ask more questions about the murders but decided to focus on my interactions with his eldest progeny first.

"Now that you're vampire, you can experience firsthand how excellent are hearing is," he stated expectantly. I nodded in agreement. I could probably hear anything within a one mile radius. It took a little playing around before I realized I could tune one sound out and another in much like the dial of a radio, but I did it with my telepathy all the time, so I figured it out. He flashed me a brief smile and sent a little pride that I realized this without his help before continuing, "Sookie, that means every vampire in the club overheard what you said about the cop and I have no doubts that many vampires were already watching you closely because of your scent. If Eric figured it out so quickly, many others would've as well. He had to establish you were a part of his retinue in order to protect you."

I both understood and didn't. I hadn't realized that incident had put me on every vampire's radar, but still, I had already been claimed.

"Bill had already claimed me by then though," I said. "Wouldn't that have protected me?"

Godric simply lifted an eyebrow at me and asked his own question, "How old is this Bill?"

"I think a little over two hundred. He was turned around the Civil War."

"So he is still relatively young. All any vampires that wanted you would've had to do was kill Bill and claim you as their own," he explained gently. "Eric is over 1000 years old and very few vampires would move against him. By claiming you as an asset, he was establishing his own protection over you and keeping others from preying on you. I understand he wanted to use your abilities, but after meeting you myself and knowing the things I do about you from my blood, you would have appealed greatly to Eric and he would've felt compelled to protect you. He didn't have to. If he were a lesser vampire he could've stood back and watched other vampires slaughter each other over you or he could simply have taken you from Bill himself. He is also Bill's superior and he could've ordered Bill to hand you over. Instead he offered you protection the only way he could without interfering." He combed his fingers slowly through my hair as he explained this to me.

I was really confused about all of this. Since I met Eric, I thought he just wanted to use me for my ability and my blood.

And sex, I reminded myself. Can't forget about his desire for sex.

I thought Bill's claim meant no other vampire could touch me, but Eric could've taken me at any time. Godric seemed to realize I needed a moment just to absorb this new information and gave me time to myself, turning instead to start the car and pull out onto the street.

"Why didn't he?" I asked quietly. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Why didn't he order Bill to hand me over? I know he wanted me and if he didn't have to kill Bill Compton to do it, then why didn't he?"

Godric smiled earnestly. "I can only assume he didn't out of respect." My own eyebrows furrowed. "Respect for you, Sookie," he clarified. "He wanted you to choose for yourself."

Huh. I really didn't understand Eric as well as I thought I did. There was a lot more to him than I realized. I dismissed his motives at face value and regretted that a little bit. And it was definitely ironic that wanting to protect me was what caused me to distrust him. What was really odd was that I didn't feel as distrustful as I did before. Was that even my emotion? Did Bill send me distrust around Eric? Godric felt my little emotional epiphany and sent me amusement in response. We fell into companionable silence for a while.

"You know, you'll be able to feel him once I open the bond," he added in a voice that was much too innocent to match the mischievous expression on his face or the amount of glee in his blood.

"Huh?" I asked with all the grace of a two year old. Did he mean Eric will be able to feel my emotions too?

"You'll be able to feel each other. Once I open the bond, you will feel his emotions through my blood and Eric will be able to feel yours. It'll be to a much lesser extent than we can feel each other, but the tie will be there. You'll be able to push emotions to each other as well. You may even be able to feel Pam to a small degree," he added with a sly smile.

I knew he could feel my nervousness and trepidation at the thought, as well as my burning curiosity, because he refused to look in my direction while he spoke.

"Great," I said in a voice two octaves too high, much like the night I met Eric and realized he somehow knew my name and Pam had entered it into her mental vault. "Well, that's just great!"

"Think of it this way, you'll know exactly how much you can trust him if you can feel what he feels," he added rationally.

I was more worried about what he'd feel from me. I may have a great poker face because of my telepathy, but I could only imagine how smug he would feel if he knew I wanted to kiss him half the time I saw him. He'd probably ignore the fact I want to slap him the other half.

"Mmhmm. I'm sure it'll be… quite the, uh, tellin' experience," I wheezed out. Once again, mirth erupted in my veins and I just glared at the source.

"Sookie, Sookie, I really do think I will enjoy having you as my progeny," Godric laughed playfully at me. I gave him a reluctant smile in return as he guided the car into another lane. "Well, let's get you to my safe house. We'll get you showered and some more blood, then order some clothes online and have them delivered tomorrow for you. I couldn't get your clothing from the hotel without both Eric and Bill," I shuddered and he shot me a sheepish look, "realizing you made it out of the Fellowship and I don't want anyone to know yet that you've been turned. Not until we've had the opportunity to experiment and see what other abilities you may have. It'd be very bad if you were to suddenly teleport or blast someone with fire or sunlight.'

"We also need to figure out what you're capable of doing with the abilities the transition has already revealed within you or strengthened and work on teaching you to control them before we let anybody know that you are my newest progeny. The Authority and AVL must not find out you are part-fairy," he stressed. I knew he felt my confusion over why this was so important so he paused to explain it to me.

"Unfortunately, vampires and fairies are enemies. Vampires cannot control themselves around full-blooded fairies and wars have been fought over the amount of blood spilled between the two races. Eventually, fairies retreated back to their own realm because their numbers were so depleted and it was thought that they were possibly extinct. Obviously, they aren't since you're here with me. However, since vampires have never been able to control themselves around the Fae, I don't believe I know of a single fairy that has been turned. You may be the first ever vampire-fairy hybrid. I'm afraid of the reaction of the Authority and the AVL if they discovered how powerful you have the potential to be. It'd be best if they never discovered what you were. If they ever do find out your ancestry, then the next best-case scenario would be to lead them to believe your spark died with your heartbeat."

I definitely felt apprehensive over this and a little bit of fear worked its way into my blood while a shiver slid down my spine. Godric flooded me with security, support, strength, and possessiveness. I knew with absolute conviction he would never allow anything to happen to me. When I relaxed, he did as well.

"We'll also work on your emotional control during your training and I'll teach you vampire law and etiquette. Usually control is the most difficult thing for a newborn to learn, but you appear to have _incredible_ control. Normally dealing with a newborn is very similar to dealing with a teenager who has a severe case of ADHD."

I nodded, thinking about Jessica and how she behaved as recently as a couple of nights ago. I thought most of her behavior was due to her age, but if what Godric said was true and Jessica was normal, then I did have extremely good control for a vampire.

"I am incredibly impressed with your control, Sookie, and your behavior. Most newborns go through a bout of despair, depression, sorrow, or outrage upon immediately rising. So far the only overly extreme emotion I have felt from you was betrayal, which had more to do with your boyfriend's-"

"Ex," I interjected.

He shot me a smile in response and corrected himself, "Ex-boyfriend's actions than what you've been through this week. Normally, this would concern me. However, my bond with you feels completely different than my bonds with Nora and Eric. It almost feels as if you have retained a lighter side to your soul and had come to a level of acceptance before you had even risen that most vampires spend years working towards. Instead of focusing on what you've lost, I can feel you reminding yourself of what you have gained. It's like your blood is constantly whispering reassurances to you in the background while you actively think and deal with other things. I've never felt anything like it before. You are truly unique, Sookie Stackhouse."

Godric shot me a great deal of awe and pride while he spoke. I was a little worried about the size of my own ego by the time he was through, which he found entertaining as all get out.

"After we work on training you emotionally and testing out your Fae abilities, we'll start conditioning your vampire ones. I will teach you to feed, to hunt, to glamour, to blend in with your surroundings, to go to ground, to track, to defend yourself, and to think strategically. We'll also test you for vampire gifts and I'll train you in those as well," he told me.

It all seemed a little overwhelming, especially the feeding part. It both worried and excited me, which worried me more. I could feel Godric soothing away the wrinkles in my emotions and instead of focusing on one of those issues I took the chicken way out and just repeated the last thing he said.

"What do you mean by vampire gifts, Godric?" I asked. He smiled at me and let me know by his quirked eyebrow that he recognized my self-defense technique but he would let me get away with it, _for now_.

"Most vampires have a couple vampire 'gifts' in addition to our abilities. Some develop stronger senses, like sharper eyesight or better hearing. Others develop incredible strength or super-speed. A few are extremely gifted in glamour- those who are can often glamour multiple people at once or can get most people to agree to anything they suggest, no matter how generic their requests seem to be. These vampires often become procurers," he paused to let me absorb that and prayed silently that I hadn't been glamoured too much by my ex.

"Godric, glamour never worked on me," I said to reassure him. His eyebrow shot up once again, so I continued while silently debating whether or not I could get away with duct-taping his eyebrow in place, "I think it may have to do with my telepathy, but I know for a fact that Bill, Eric, and Pam all tried to glamour me. I could feel their attempts. It felt like a tingling sensation in my mind, but I couldn't tell what they were tryin' to get me to do, especially when Eric tried since he was up sittin' on that ridiculous throne while I was sittin' in a booth."

Godric was simultaneously amused and relieved as he listened to me. "He was probably trying to get you to offer yourself to him, Sookie."

"What?!" I asked. If that meant what I thought it meant, I was both offended and flattered.

Now he was definitely amused. "Eric was probably trying to get you to walk away from Bill and have you offer him your blood. Once a human is claimed by a vampire, they're no longer fair game unless the human states that the vampire in question is no longer entitled to that claim. I think he was hoping to avoid hearing you were claimed by glamouring you to offer yourself up. Once Bill asserted that claim, he couldn't even attempt to glamour you."

"Does he do that a lot?" I asked, feeling both disgusted and flattered, which was an odd combination that only served to increase Godric's amusement.

"No, Sookie. He doesn't. In fact, in all the years Eric spent at my side, I do not ever remember Eric glamouring a woman to come to him simply because he wanted her. On the other hand, there are very few women who wouldn't offer themselves to Eric without glamour," he answered honestly while studying my reaction.

"Oh," I responded and Godric felt the equivalent of what would be me blushing with the bond. He responded with another eruption of mirth. "Well, I don't know whether to be offended he tried it or flattered." At this, Godric couldn't help it anymore. He laughed. Eventually, I joined.

"Back to gifts, Eric and I can both fly, that's our main vampire gift and is very rare. Most can only levitate a few feet off the ground. Pam doesn't have this gift, but we'll test you to see if you do," he finished. He could feel my astonishment and hope flutter across the bond, and because I hoped for it, so did he.

"We'll begin the fundamentals of everything I've just told you, and work on these before we return to Louisiana. Any unique abilities you have will most likely reveal themselves during this training period, and it wouldn't be good if that happened around other vampires, so we'll train here for a few weeks to get the basics down and see what abilities you have- then we'll move to Louisiana and train more in-depth there. I think it'd be the smartest thing to train you with Eric and Pam, especially when it comes to self-defense and strategic thinking.'

"Eric's one of the best strategists I've ever met and Pam's much closer to your age, so she'll be a much better sparring partner than either Eric or I would be. I don't want you to reveal your mind-reading ability or your Fae heritage to Pam though. In fact, I think it would be best that you say your telepathy has been weakened and that you're more of an empath than a telepath. You can say you get emotions rather than thoughts or memories. That way, if you find out someone is about to do something like kill a vampire and you have to react, you can say you felt betrayal and rage coming from them. What do you think?" I agreed. In fact, I liked the idea very much.

He sighed when he thought about Eric's progeny before explaining his concerns to me, "Pam may be blood of my blood, but I'm still deliberating on whether or not she's trustworthy. From what I know, Eric was somewhat forced into turning her, and children you do not feel the pull towards cannot be automatically trusted. I have problems even now trusting Nora and she's hundreds of years old while Pam was made somewhere around 1918 or so."

"And you felt the pull towards me, right? I mean, didn't you say somethin' like that?" I asked hesitantly. I wanted Godric to feel like I could be trusted completely. I desperately wanted to be worthy of his trust, which he could feel. Godric turned down a street and drove through a gate while I asked this. He shot me a rueful smile and flooded me with reassurance while he parked the car in the underground garage of a three story safe house.

"Yes, my child, I did feel the pull towards you. It was as strong as the one I felt with Eric. Oddly enough, he was dying when I met him too," he told me and kissed the top of my head before getting out and vamping to my side of the car to open the door for me.

 _Aww_ , such a gentleman.

"That coincidence, that I felt the pull to you both when you were on the eves of your deaths, has me seriously pondering if the pull is an indicator of fate. Maybe we were meant to cross paths and I was meant to step in and prevent your final deaths," he speculated. "Just like you prevented mine."

I liked that idea very, very much and Godric sent me affection and a gentle stroke through the bond in response to my support.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and walked with me into the house while he finished what would be my schedule for the next few months.

"Once we develop the basics in everything, we'll move into Eric's area and work with them on developing your skills. Do you have a house or an apartment?" he asked.

"A house in Bon Temps, which is a little bit outside of Shreveport and in Area Five. My Gran left it to me when she died and my best friend Tara lives with me," I explained.

He contemplated that information for a moment before asking, "Do you think she'll continue to want to live with you when she finds out you have been turned?"

I froze before raising my eyes to his. For the first time since I rose, I felt a sense of loss and my grief stretched out across the bond. His side tightened in response and reached for me, giving me an embrace through the blood. "No," I whispered. "She may eventually come to terms with me bein' a vampire, but she'll never wanna live with us. She's prejudiced, which is funny because she's black, but it's true. She's prejudiced against vampires."

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead while he tucked a blond curl behind my ear.

"Well, then we'll let her think you died. We'll contact a lawyer to keep the house from closing and being given to whomever benefits from your will until she moves out. Then we 'll have contractors go in and work on making it both light-tight and secure so it'll be ready for us to stay in once we leave Texas. I can feel in your blood that your house is incredibly important and dear to you, so I want to make it safe for you to stay there. Hopefully by the time we get to Bon Temps, this Tara will have missed you so much that the only thing that'll be important to her is that you are alive (in a sense) and not that you are a vampire. You can blame me and claimed I commanded you not to tell anyone you weren't truly dead. Is this agreeable to you?" he asked with concern.

I didn't like the idea of lying to Tara, but vampires were very secretive and honestly I couldn't risk Tara telling the whole town what happened before people got a chance to see I was still me. Well, me with fangs. I nodded and let him know I agreed. That town was too quick to judge and they were just barely starting to accept Bill. I needed the opportunity to show them Sookie Stackhouse was still in here. Actually, they might like me even better if they thought vampirism prevented me from reading their minds. The idea they might accept me better as a vampire actually filled me with mirth.

"Okay, take a shower and when you're done I'll bring you a change of clothes. I'll get you some more blood and we'll plan out our next steps, all right?" he both ordered and asked.

"Yes." He indicated the way to the bathroom up and as I headed up the stairs a thought popped in my head. "Godric?" I asked. He turned around to give me his attention. "Do you have any idea what type of Fae you think I could be?"

"Actually," he said with a small smile. "I think that you may be a descendent of the Sky Clan, which is the ruling faction in the Fairy realm."

"Why do you think that?" I asked out of simple curiosity. In all honesty, I felt he was right. I had no reason to think he was, but it felt like all the blood in my veins was humming in agreement with him.

"You smell like the sun. Even now, as a vampire and a creature of the night, you smell like sunlight."

I gave him a radiant smile and turned around to head up for a much needed shower.


	4. Chapter 4: Sibling Rivalry

_A/N:_

 _[1] Okay! So we don't actually see Sookie in predator mode until next chapter. I miscalculated, it would've been a long-assed chapter if I included it in this one. Next time though._

 _[2] We do, however, see one of Sookie's unique abilities and her new very fairy sense of humor. I amped Sookie's essential spark up with her turning, which is why she's suddenly more mischievous and protective. I was kind of shooting for something like Puck, who is a fairy known for his level of mischief._

 _[3] I read a Vampire Sookie story that only had about five chapters to it or so where Sookie had this same ability, so if this seems familiar to you, there is another story out there where she has the same ability and Godric tests it out on Eric without him knowing. That is the ONLY similarity though, I went off in completely different direction with it. Unfortunately, I have no idea what that other story was so I can't recommend it to you, but it was really good. I wished they had written more of it._

 _[4] Final note: We see both Sookie's and Eric's POV in this chapter. If I had done Sookie then Eric, we would've had a super short chapter followed by an incredibly long one. Sorry about that._

* * *

SPOV

1 month later…

I was nervous. Really, really nervous. As we walked towards the back of Fangtasia, Godric pushed calm across the bond in an attempt to soothe away my tattered nerves, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't even close to enough. The bar appeared to be closed for the night, which actually surprised me. Usually by this time it's close to bursting with fangbangers and tourists. Godric was surprised too, but he gave the signal to go ahead anyway. He sent me what I call the "greenlight," which was a firm push through the bond. I could almost feel his palms on my shoulders when he gave an emotional push.

He opened the employee's door to the bar (since it looked like the front was closed) and I breezed through at vamp speed. I hesitated for a second when I caught Eric looking delectable in a leather jacket and wife-beater standing in front of a redheaded woman in a fur coat. He looked good. His hair was a smidgeon darker, had been cut again, and styled a little better. His jeans hugged his hips deliciously and he stood with a posture of someone who knew he looked good. Suddenly, I felt as if my core was being pulled towards Eric, as if he was a magnet and I was a piece of steel. A nice, healthy dose of lust shot through me too and my fangs dropped.

Holy shit, that's embarrassing.

I retracted them quickly and sent Godric an emotional eye-roll when I felt his amusement and mirth wash over the bond and focused myself once again just in time to catch the end of their conversation before they noticed the door had opened and I have to admit, it piqued my interest.

"Then I don't understand why we're talking about him. Let him rot. Move. The. Blood," she said in a frigid tone. The tension in the air was so thick that I felt like I was suffocating.

Okay. Something was off here. One thing I learned in the last month was to always trust my instincts. When they said to dump Bill and I shouldn't trust him? Should've listened. When they said not to take Jessica to her parents' house without Bill? Should've listened. When they screamed I shouldn't have walked away from the car in the middle of the night? Should've listened. Maybe I would've saved myself from a Maenad attack if I had just trusted myself. When my instincts said something was off with Hugo? Should've FREAKING LISTENED. So when they said this redheaded bitch was up to no good? I took my own advice, opened up my shields, and listened.

I really dug in by analyzing thoughts, flipping through memories, filtering connected information, and gathering data like a scientist focused on finding the cure for Alzheimer's. I learned a lot in about ten seconds and felt my rage skyrocket and my fangs drop.

Oops. Good thing nobody can see or hear me.

Their heads whipped towards the back door and the queen, yes, apparently she was the vampire Queen of Louisiana, turned back to Eric and said, "I'll see myself out."

While she "saw herself out," I softly opened the door to Eric's office, took out my neat little spy gadget, and swept it for bugs. I found three. Who wants to place a bet on the bitch with red hair? Me! Me! I whizzed back out into the bar and dropped the bugs in a glass of water while watching a stunned Eric Northman drop to his knees in the middle of the bar before my- our- maker. I could see the awe and disbelief on his face and hear it in his voice when he quietly said, "Master?"

Godric placed his hand on my vampire brother's shoulder and replied with a simple, "Min son," while I sent him a little tug on the bond and lifted the glass full of water and bugs above my head so it looked like a glass was floating across thin air and a ghost possessed a vampire bar. His lips kicked up and mirth erupted in my blood once again before he gave me a barely perceptible nod and sent me pride. I beamed in response and laughed to myself when Eric turned his head to look for whatever had entertained our maker.

Never in a million years, Eric Northman. Never in a million years would you guess an invisible Sookie Stackhouse with fangs is standing behind your bar laughing her ass off and making your maker struggle to keep a straight face.

"Let's speak in your office," Godric said once he managed to school his face.

Eric stood and shook his head, "I just found out it's bugged. I'll have to sweep it first."

"Not anymore," he said with a small smile and I grinned. "It's safer to talk in there than it is out here. It's sound-proofed, yes?" he asked while leading a baffled Eric towards his office at human speed.

I couldn't help it, I vamped up behind him and pinched his butt. He jumped about a foot in the air and Godric erupted with laughter. What? It was too tempting. How often would I get a chance to do that? After Godric opens the bond, he'll be able to sense my location. I had to take the opportunity while I still had the chance.

Godric was right when he said I was mischievous. It's like his blood hadn't just strengthened the Fae side, but the practical joker in me as well. I made him laugh his ass off at least three times a day. It was my own personal theory that fairies were jokers at heart and when my Fae-ness emerged so did my sense of humor. With so many abilities, like shielding your presence from all the senses, how could they not be?

"Godric, what is-"

"Come, Eric. We need privacy for this," Godric cut him off as he opened the office door. He held it open long enough to feel me slip by him in his blood after Eric, than quietly closed the door and locked it.

EPOV

I was completely confused. Excited, but confused. I hadn't seen my maker in years, not since the end of the Second World War. When I went to Dallas a month ago to help rescue him from the Fellowship of the Sun with Sookie Stackhouse, I was torn. I didn't honestly believe that fanatical little church had the resources or manpower to capture and restrain a 2,000 year old vampire. How did they capture him? How did they keep him restrained? He had one of the most powerful glamouring skills in the world, so how were they able to keep him there? What'd they do, hire a blind man or remote work a robot made of silver to keep watch over him? And he had completely shut down the bond. I honestly couldn't tell if he was injured or if he was peachy keen. I couldn't tell if he was alive at all. It was only the fact that I hadn't felt his bond snapping or being painfully yanked out of my blood that kept me firmly believing he was still among the undead. It was this same hope that had me terrified he had willingly allowed himself to be captured and was getting ready to leave this world.

I was so desperate to get word of him that I had gone to Bill Compton to ask permission to use his delectable little telepath. The bastard had denied me. It was only thanks to a bout of bittersweet luck that I had the opportunity to negotiate with Sookie herself.

Bitter in the fact that she nearly died at the hands of a Maenad in order to provide me with that window of face time where I could strike a deal with her. Sweet in the sense that I was given the opportunity to smell her amazing blood for the first time. My fangs throbbed just thinking about all that blood. They had dropped the moment the aroma had hit my nose and stayed down the rest of the night. Bitter again in the fact that her damn telepathy led to her discovering her friend Lafayette was in the basement. I knew I was in deep shit when she realized he was there. I was planning on releasing him the second he mentioned Jason Stackhouse. Then, like an idiot, he had to get himself shot. Between Godric going missing and the Maenad, I didn't even have the opportunity to heal him, glamour him, and send his fine ass on his way. I was too busy standing guard over Sookie because I had ZERO faith Pam and Chow could withstand the temptation of her blood with just that dumbass Compton standing guard. And the next night sweet again when Sookie had sealed her fate and showed me exactly how "afraid" she was of a powerful, 1000 year old vampire by slapping me.

No human in all my years had ever stood up to me like that before.

I had never been slapped before that night. Not even when I was human. After she did that? She was done. She could fight and argue with me all she wanted, but I would have her one day.

And then I would turn her.

Nobody had challenged me the way she did in over a thousand years. It was unlikely I would ever find another like her. I wouldn't let her get away from me after that. She was mine.

Then she got herself killed. I lost her before I even had her. My jaw clenched and my hand trembled beneath my desk as I thought about it. I made a deal with her to get her to Dallas to help find my possibly suicidal maker and then, to seemingly answer my prayers to the gods, he makes it out undead and places a phone call into the Dallas nest to let us all know _he's fine_ , but Sookie didn't make it. I sent the gorgeous little telepath in to free my maker and she ends up meeting hers there. And then Godric decides to be a total _asshole_ about it and refuses to answer my calls and let me know what happened to her. I knew she was dead. I just didn't know how she died, and that was tearing me apart.

After Sookie somehow sent a telepathic message to the bellboy, I had flown to the church as fast as I could. There were alarms sounding and lights flashing off and on and little boys with wooden sticks that they called "soldiers of the sun" running around like idiots. I listened for a while and heard them talking about how a vampire had escaped, so I knew Godric was free. I didn't know why the hell he wouldn't open the bond, but I knew he was free. I had the last known location of Sookie thanks to the bellboy, so I studied the pattern of the "soldiers" and passed by unnoticed on my way to basement.

There I felt something I hadn't felt in over a thousand years, _nausea_.

Sookie's blood was everywhere. Her scent was even more heavenly than I remembered without the Maenad poison tainting it, and it was undoubtedly her blood. It smelled like sunshine in a pretty blond bottle, that someone had opened up and dumped all over the floor. There was a body in the basement, but it wasn't hers. It was some brute of a man with his head torn off and his pants unzipped. I felt rage when I realized he probably tried to rape Sookie and felt gratified Godric had torn him apart. And there was no doubt in my mind Godric had done it. I knew my maker's handiwork.

Where was Sookie though? Had Godric taken her body with him? Had he found her and fed on her to restore his own strength? That thought panicked me. I didn't know if I could ever look at Godric the same way again if he had drained my little telepath for the strength to escape. Rationally, I knew I shouldn't judge if him if he had, after all she was obviously wounded, she smelled incredible, he would've been weak, and he had no reason not to follow his vampiric nature and heal her if he came across her. Yet, if he had killed her, I would spend the rest of eternity avoiding him.

After staring numbly at the pool of blood in the basement for about five minutes, I slipped back out of the church and headed back to the hotel. All I could think about was that pool of blood and how I didn't even have a body to bring back and bury with the rest of Sookie's family.

That and my maker was an asshole.

That train of thought didn't last long when I got back to the hotel since I was assaulted by the _other_ asshole that was Bill Compton, who went on and on about Sookie's terror and how my mission to save some random Dallas vampire cost him the love of _his_ life.

And how I cost the Queen her telepath. Oh Billy Boy, how romantic. You, Sookie, and the Queen will be _so happy together_.

Pathetic.

And I showed him just how pathetic he really was when I sent him home with broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and an arm crushed in thirty places.

He was lucky the Queen valued his pathetic life or he wouldn't have left with his at all.

Of course, I heard the Queen expressed her own displeasure with him for two weeks when he returned from Dallas as well.

It appears she hadn't agreed when Compton claimed the fault was all mine.

Sookie was, after all, technically his and I hadn't been able to get my blood into her yet, so I was unable to track her.

I, however, still felt the guilt weighing heavily on me.

Pathetic, indeed.

I mentally shook myself and focused on Godric once again. I needed to concentrate on the here and now, not wallow in the grief I felt over a human who wasn't even mine when she died. I needed to know if Godric had heard what the Queen was speaking about when he arrived. If he had, he might be able to help me with my situation. If he hadn't, I technically couldn't tell him about it because doing so would be treason. On the other hand, if he killed Sookie then I honestly wanted nothing to do with him.

It all came down to what happened in that basement and I was too afraid to ask. I felt like a coward. I was secretly grateful and relieved he hadn't reopened the bond. If he had, he would feel wavering joy that he was here and disgust in him for letting Sookie die. Additionally he would feel my own self-loathing for letting her walk into a trap at the Fellowship and letting Sophie-Ann back me into a corner. Between the two of us, I couldn't tell who was worse.

No. Godric was worse. He let Sookie die.

I stopped my internal rambling and eyed my maker. He looked amused. He looked like he was hooked up to a live feed of my internal conflict even though I could tell the bond between us was firmly closed down. I knew this because it wasn't just his side that was closed, but mine as well. I closed myself off from both him and Pam as soon as I came across the Sookie-sized blood puddle.

I wasn't prepared to analyze that too closely.

Yet here he was, looking amused. Not only that, he looked refreshed. Re-energized. For the last couple hundred years, his age had started weighing on him. He moved slower, as if he had all the time in the world. He was always serious. He'd lost all sense of humor. Godric had come down with a deadly case of what killed older vampires the most, ennui. It was the single biggest reason I was terrified he was at the church willingly, terrified he was preparing to meet the sun.

Looking at him now though, it was like he had shaken off the shackles of time. He looked revitalized and younger, like he was able to enjoy life again. He looked like he had found a purpose.

Was Sookie's blood like some kind of Red Bull for vampires?

His lips kicked up in amusement with this and I had to seriously wonder if I'd just said that aloud. I replayed the last two minutes of my photographic memory and realized, no. I hadn't.

What the hell was going on here?

"Master?" I questioned after a moment of silence. I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to know what he was doing here, what he had heard when entered the bar, and, most importantly, what the hell had happened to Sookie Stackhouse. I no longer even cared whether he had been there of his own free will to begin with. All I cared about was finding out what happened to Sookie.

"Eric, my child. Do you sense anybody else in the bar?" he asked, with a small smile still on his face.

I focused my ears and nose on the area surrounding us while also taking a quick glance around the room. Nope, we were all alone. I had everyone ejected from the bar and sent Pam on an errand to get her the hell away from the Magister and the Queen.

"No, master. We are alone."

The ends of his mouth kicked up again at my answer. What the hell was going on?

"You can hear nobody else?"

"No, master."

"Can you smell anyone else?"

I scented the air again before replying in the negative, "Godric, I can sense no one else here besides you and me."

He was confusing me now. I was starting to wonder if he wasn't as healthy as I thought he was.

"Focus on my blood now, Eric. Can you feel anyone else?" he asked seriously.

Even though I was exasperated I did as he asked. Godric had opened his side of the bond. I could feel his life force humming away but nothing else because my side was still blocked. Reluctantly, I removed the block on my side, and was nearly bowled over when I felt his joy, mirth, amusement, and affection slam into me. I hadn't felt such strong and positive emotions come from Godric in over a hundred years. I gripped the top of my desk and held on for dear life until I had adjusted to the sheer quantity I was feeling of his extreme emotions. He obviously found my reaction hilarious because the blood in my very veins seemed to fizzle and erupt like carbonated soda with his mirth and laughter. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply while I tried to regain my equilibrium after the sudden onslaught of his emotions.

Slowly, I reached out to sort through his blood and immediately found Nora, who seemed just as overwhelmed with Godric's emotions as I was and nearly bursting with the most intense curiosity I had ever felt from her. As I felt out her emotions, I also found envy and… jealousy? Why would feeling Godric make her jealous?

"Search further than Nora, Eric."

My eyes shot open when he spoke. Who else would I find besides Nora and, to a much lesser extent, Pam?

"Trust me, Eric. Search further than Nora," he repeated and sent me encouragement. I closed my eyes and basked in that emotion for a second. The first he had sent me in many years. I focused again then on what he had said to me and started to scour his blood for another presence.

It didn't take long at all. There was indeed another presence in the blood. It was vibrant and full of life, filled to the brim with joy and mirth, and fiery to the touch and full of sheer hope. On top of all of that was an incredible amount of affection, mischief, and a dash of lust. Underneath it all was a taunting anticipation, as if he or she was waiting for something.

I had never felt someone like that before with just my blood. I had never before come across someone so full of life, someone whose emotions were so intense and so _pure_. Amazingly, this person didn't have a single negative emotion in their blood. Afraid those incredible emotions and that amazing presence would disappear if I moved too aggressively, I slowly reached my blood out towards it, cautiously approaching this person and wrapping tentacles of myself around them in the bond I shared with my maker. Slowly, I embraced this mystery person with my blood and chuckled when the presence shivered. He or she reached out in return and slowly stroked me through the bond using the gentlest touch I had ever felt through the blood. It felt like a hundred soft fingers were running up and down my body and slipping themselves tenderly into my hair.

I couldn't help it, I purred like a cat.

Godric started laughing and mirth erupted from both him and this mystery presence, but I couldn't care less. I was still being caressed and I loved every second of it. Both of them could laugh for the rest of eternity as long as I kept being caressed like that. They could feel how I felt about the subject and their mirth doubled and brought a smile to my face. Nora sent me shock, which I ignored altogether, enjoying the gentle touches and laughter too much to care how she felt. Then whoever it was sent me affection. A huge dose of it, and my eyes shot open with two realizations. Whoever had caressed me knew who I was, they had to in order to have that much affection for me, and it came from incredibly close by. Somehow the person was in the room with me.

I looked at Godric, absolutely stunned. All he did was nod at me, which was an answer in itself. Yes, there was someone else in the room with us. I really cracked down on the bond then, picking it up with my mental fingers and shaking out a location from it. If I read the emotions right, my actions… tickled.

And then they taunted me. The presence taunted me in the bond. Godric finally broke and revealed a full-blown genuine smile. Something I hadn't seen in so many, many years. I nearly lost all concentration just looking at his expression when the bond tugged on me again, forcing me to pay attention. I felt them move. Their mistake, now I knew they were on the side of the room opposite the door. They froze, probably realizing their mistake. Or so I thought, I expected to feel them deliberating, trying to decide what to do, instead they just stayed where they were before gently reaching out and tugging on me again. They sent me the emotional equivalent of a "come hither" motion to me next and my fangs throbbed. A small dose of lust shot through me and Godric chuckled. His extreme amusement rolled across the bond and momentarily obscured my attempt to pinpoint the presence in the bond.

My head whipped towards him at vamp speed and my eyes narrowed. I wasn't sure what was worse, my level of painful curiosity or anticipation of what was coming next. I could feel the need to hunt rising within me, and paused for a second to think about what was happening. This had the potential to get dangerous. It could awaken my bloodlust if anything happened and one of us were to be cut. It was obvious whoever I was dealing with was a vampire because of how well they could manipulate the bond, so they could handle me if it got physical, but I could also sense they were young. Either Godric had bonded with someone or he had created another vampire. If that was the case, the vampire was not even a year old. If this vampire made a severe mistake, he or she might not be able to handle what was coming. I felt the need to warn this person after experiencing such pure emotions from them, so I spoke to Godric but my words were directed towards whoever was listening.

"You know he or she is taunting a predator, right? Do you think it truly safe to taunt a thousand year old vampire?"

A thrill ran through the vampire at my words and I had to work hard to suppress both my amusement and a grin. This was a serious warning and they needed to pay attention to it.

"Eric, you are not the predator in this scenario, she is more than capable of handling a hunt with you."

This time a thrill ran through my side of the bond and I felt her lust pick up a small notch.

"She, Godric? Did you bond or do you have a new progeny?" I asked. If he bonded, then I would have to proceed with caution. If I have a new vampire sister, then when I caught her she would be facing danger of an entirely different brand.

The danger of being chained to my bed and not allowed to leave it until I had sated my thirst.

"I have not bonded, you have a new sister," he replied and smiled. Godric new exactly what I was thinking and had neither encouraged me to teach her to never taunt an older vampire nor forbidden me from doing exactly that when I caught her.

It appeared he had complete confidence in her to come out the predator in this little game. That knowledge should've seriously given me pause. What must she be capable of to have Godric's confidence over mine in this hunt?

It didn't though. I never even thought about the possibility that she truly was the predator and I was the prey.

Instead, my lust shot up again and my fangs dropped.

And I hadn't even seen her face yet.

Godric's amusement rolled through the bond again, obscuring her location for me once more while my mind raced through several different strategies at once. Only a second passed, but it was enough for the little vixen I was hunting to make her move.

Suddenly she was behind me. Something I was only aware of because she blew air across my neck and ear. A shiver worked its way down my spine and I spun around only to realize she was back across the room again.

"The rules, Godric?" I breathed, not quite believing such a shitty night had turned into something so tantalizing. I couldn't smell her, see her, or hear her. It was almost as if she had blindfolded me in the bedroom, a favorite kinky game of mine. No one had ever been able to turn the tables on me like this before though. With that thought, my lust kicked up again. This time I felt hers rise as well.

"Stay inside the club," Godric said as he whipped the door open. I had been so focused on her tie through the blood that I hadn't seen him move. As soon as he opened the door, my vampire sister shot out of the room and into the open.

Shit.

It had been difficult to pinpoint her in my office. It was going to be a hundred times worse in the open space of the bar.

I vamped after them and came to a halt in the center of the bar. I kept the blood tie thrown wide open and looked around, scanning the area for displaced air, an object sitting at a weird angle, and movement of any kind. I could feel her anticipation and it rivaled my own, but she had so much control. It was almost impossible to locate her because no other emotions were radiating out of her through the blood. She kept them all tightly locked down.

So how do you find an enemy that you can't see?

You make them reveal themselves.

The only way she could reveal herself was through the blood since she was physically able to shield herself from sight, sound, and smell. The closer I was to her, the stronger I'd feel her emotions. I had to get her to lose some of that incredible control so I could feel if she was close. Honestly, I was positive she could feel more coming from me right now than I could from her.

So I did the only thing I could do, I talked to Godric while I moved randomly around the room. It was hit or miss, but I desperately wanted to sink her battleship.

"Is she really a baby vamp or have you kept her hidden for several years, Godric?" I asked. I was actually going to ask things I wanted to know. No point in wasting time on stupid questions. And the curiosity I was feeling about this little temptress was second only to the anticipation I felt.

His lips quirked up in amusement and understanding flitted across the bond, but not enough to block anything coming from her. Godric immediately understood I was using him to evoke emotions from her, but he did say the only rule was to stay in the club, so Q & A time was definitely allowed.

"She's under a year old, Eric. She is indeed a baby vamp," he admitted with no little amount of pride. That got us a small wink of pleasure from her.

I moved a foot closer to her but kept my body angled towards Godric, like he was my main focus and she was the distraction.

"She's incredibly controlled for a baby vampire, Godric. I think she's probably feeling more emotions from me right now than I am from her," I admitted. I was surprised with how in control she was. It was astonishing. "How did you teach her that level of control so fast?" I asked him, generally curious.

"She rose that way," he answered with a small smile. I could feel how pleased he was with that fact. I, myself, was shocked. And more than a little awed by my vampire sister. I had been slowly walking back a step or two every few seconds, but with Godric's admission I froze.

"But," I practically whimpered. That was embarrassing but I didn't let that embarrassment seep into the bond. I just glossed over it. "But it took me nearly a hundred years to attain that level of emotional control."

Honestly, I still had issues with it.

"Yes, she is truly unique, Eric, in so many ways."

I was beginning to see that, even if I hadn't seen her, so my blood hummed in agreement. While I was contemplating what, exactly, Godric meant by that, I felt pride and gratefulness radiating out towards Godric and me both from my sister. I tensed to pounce but faltered when her hands reached up into my hair and caressed me exactly like her emotional stroke did. I purred again, but before I could react beyond that, she was on the other side of the room.

I looked at Godric, completely stunned. How the hell did she keep doing that? Was one of her gifts speed? And what, exactly, was she doing? This was not how I normally played predator/prey.

"I believe," Godric said after I had lapsed into silence for a full minute, "that was a reward. She calls it _positive reinforcement_." I could've toppled over with the amount of affection and mirth Godric felt while speaking about her. Underneath it all I felt her supporting agreement with his analysis in a gentle wave.

"Well, if that's the type of reward I get from giving her a compliment, I will make sure to compliment her _several times a day_ ," I purred. Apparently she liked it when I purred.

Godric chuckled while the little vixen stroked me through the bond again. I was purring before I even realized she was doing it. She really did like the purring because she pushed a gentle amount of affection towards me after she finished her caress.

"How long did it take her to learn how to manipulate the bond like that?" I murmured, really just thinking aloud at this point and not truly expecting an answer.

"She stroked me exactly like that right before she rose from her grave," Godric answered, shocking me again.

Who was this girl?

"You're kidding me!" I said in disbelief. "She rose already knowing how to manipulate the bond and with that level of emotional control?" I couldn't believe it. Now he was yanking my leg. I had never heard of someone rising with that level of control over either their emotions or the bond. Now Godric was just testing me to see how gullible I was.

The bond rebelled instantly against my disbelief and my sister sent me a sharp admonishment. After receiving it, I felt properly chastised… but more importantly, I knew exactly where she was. Mostly, I knew her location because the bond was still radiating her displeasure, acting like a radar system and painting a nice emotional bull's-eye on her back. She was sitting on my throne.

Honestly, it probably was the first place I should've considered. The throne was the most tempting seat in the room.

Using a herculean effort not to let a sense of triumph give me away before I moved, I forced myself not to look at Godric or accidentally allow any emotions to flood the bond while I stated calmly to the air around me, "Forgive me, sister. I apologize. I have no reason to doubt your word or vampire abilities…" She seemed to be seriously contemplating my apology and deliberating on whether or not she should accept.

I seized the opportunity and used my fastest speed to put myself in front of the throne and box her in by placing a hand on each arm of the chair. I finished blocking her escape by leaning forward, figuring we'd be about eye level if she was about a foot or so shorter than me (and most women were at least a foot shorter than me).

I then finished my apology in a hushed tone, enjoying the shiver I felt run through her in the blood as I spoke, "…especially since I have no idea who you are."

Instead of feeling _any_ sense of defeat, or revealing who she was, I felt a slight displacement in the air and realized she had stretched upward for some reason.

And then I felt her run her fangs along my jugular.

Fangs? Down, definitely down. Other tools of my trade? Up, definitely up.

I released a deep, predatory growl as I gently slid my hands up towards her arms, only to come into contact with nothing but air.

Son of a bitch! How did she keep doing that?

I sent Godric my utter astonishment and complete bafflement as I turned around to shoot him a look of confusion, only to see him holding his sides and wiping away a blood tear as he laughed his ass off.

"I never had a chance of catching her at all, did I?" I said after he calmed down somewhat and caught a breath he didn't need. I retracted my fangs and walked towards him, silently admitting defeat.

"No," he said between chuckles and shaking his head for emphasis.

"And I thought I was so close," I mumbled, disappointed. I would've had fun teaching her not to taunt an ancient vampire.

"I know you did. So did she, I can still feel her glee and sense of one-upmanship," he said with a bright smile.

"I cannot remember the last time I felt that much anticipation for a game," I confessed to him while he patted my shoulder and led me back to the office. "She definitely brings sibling rivalry to a whole new level."

"And yet it is a much different type of rivalry than what you experience with Nora, is it not?" he asked me with a knowing look.

I didn't need to say anything, my blood very vocally agreed for me. It was a different type of rivalry. And it was damned erotic. With Nora, we fought like siblings and fucked like champs. With whoever this little vixen was, even the fighting and competing was laced with sexual tension, but she never once lost her head. She knew I was a strategist and used that against me. She figured out what my strategy was, locating her by forcing her to feel emotions, and led me into a trap while throwing me off with sexual tension (so I wouldn't think twice about her own strategy) in order to end the game.

"I'm impressed, Godric. I am impressed with everything I have learned about your progeny tonight and you know how rare that is," I admitted honestly. He pushed a thank you through the bond towards me and affection to the little vixen. In return, she pushed back her own affection and stroked me again.

"Positive reinforcement," Godric chuckled.

"If only I could get her to stroke me lower," I speculated and immediately felt what could only be described as a blush coming from the little vixen. And suddenly I felt like I had won the game after all and let out a full and true laugh for the first time since Dallas. I couldn't help it; I had to send a healthy dose of my own affection to her. She practically beamed at me through the tie in response.


	5. Chapter 5: Predator and Prey

**_A/N:_**

 _I can't believe how awesome you guys are. I was seriously nervous about posting anything at all and you guys all just welcomed me with open arms. Best reviewers ever._

 _All right! It's here! The moment you've been waiting for... both moments... Eric and Sookie reunite and then we get a glimpse at Vampire Sookie._

 _And for those of you who are worrying about this story still being in process- it's true. This is not yet complete. However, I do have many, many chapters written. It's starting to look like I might have to right a sequel later instead of one huge tome. I'm changing things with how season 3 ended and it leads us into dealing with the Authority, which may end up being the sequel. I know everyone_ _ **loved**_ _season 4 of True Blood, but since Sookie is a vampire and has all sorts of skills, I don't see Eric getting cursed. We may just skip the season._

 _Don't cry. I'll make it up to you._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own True Blood or SVM. I also don't own any of their characters, their plot, or any clubs in Shreveport. HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris do._

 _I'd be interested in franchising though._

* * *

As we entered the office once again, Godric shut the door and turned the lock. I quirked an eyebrow at him in question while I settled myself back into my chair behind the desk.

"We do not want to risk being interrupted for this. Trust me. I have many things to tell you that even your progeny should not know," he said in explanation.

Well, he definitely had my attention now. The only person I trusted more than my progeny was Godric. If he felt I couldn't discuss this with Pam, it was serious indeed.

"You've already swept the office?" I asked, cautious about what was revealed to the Queen.

Godric radiated pride and nodded, "Yes, she thought of that as well. She tugged on me three times, so there were three bugs placed in here."

I glowered. Luckily, I hadn't been focused on the Queen all that much and hadn't insulted her for her stupidity since before Dallas. My life would be even more incredibly difficult than it was now if I had.

The little vixen had loosened her hold on her emotions again and was allowing me to feel them. She was now standing beside the couch where Godric was sitting, a little too unsettled to sit since playtime was now over. With Godric's words, I felt a sense of anxiety and unease steal across their bond. Godric sent her a gentle push of encouragement as he gave the bond a little tug.

I was up and around the desk before Godric had finished tugging on their bond. I could tell from the amount of affection she sent to me that I personally knew her, but I couldn't figure out how. There were very few people we both knew now and all of them were vampires or supes of some kind. I couldn't think of one single human we both knew that he could've turned, especially if he had turned her within the last year. Feeling her anxiety though, and knowing it had to do with revealing herself, I wanted to reassure her.

I barely knew her, and yet she had already wormed her way into my life with the little game she had instigated and the purity of her emotions. What she was feeling, how she was feeling it, and the intensity at which she felt it was so damned beautiful. If they suddenly disappeared from my life, I knew I would be the poorer for it, so I didn't want her to feel nervous about meeting me, whether we had met before or not.

I reached my hands out towards her slowly, both afraid I would scare her off and worried my aim would be horrible since I couldn't actually see where she was, just feel her with my blood. I startled a little internally when I felt her hands wrap around my own, but gave her a little smile when I felt her raise them to her cheeks then slide her hands down to grasp me around my forearms. She was much shorter than I thought she would be. Her skin felt slightly warmer than mine, which was unusual for a vampire. Normally, vampires were all the same temperature. Dead was dead.

Her cheeks were so soft and her skin was so smooth. Her incredibly soft hair brushed up against my knuckles and I immediately used one hand to push some of the silky tendrils behind her ear, stroking it gently, before sliding my thumb back to her cheek and caressing it for a moment. Suddenly I felt my own trepidation at this reveal. If I never found out who she was, I could very well imagine she was my own personal dream girl. One I had lost not long ago. Godric and the girl both felt my trepidation, though they didn't know what had caused it, and flooded me with their reassurance and affection. I was dumbfounded by the amount of affection this girl had for me. It nearly equaled the amount she had for our maker. I didn't know who I was to her, but she definitely did not hate me. In fact, she liked me a great deal. I sent them my own sheepish gratitude in response and felt Godric tug again on their bond, this time a little impatiently. I could almost hear him scolding her with, "Quit making Eric wait!"

My own lips twitched in amusement went I felt her silently snap back at him and heard him chuckle in response. I then felt her focus and intense concentration in my blood while I continued to caress her cheek with my thumb. The light seemed to bend and shift around her, making the outline of her features alternately glow and settle before her face became more defined and started to gain color. I felt something shift inside me and seemed to pull my very center towards her like a magnet before my lust skyrocketed and my fangs slammed down. Her own fangs slammed down in reaction to mine and I found myself even more turned on. If I hadn't known better, I would've thought I had just experienced the pull of a maker, which was impossible because the girl in front of me was already a vampire and her maker was my maker. I felt Godric's own astonishment and knew he felt what I felt, but I was already too distracted by the vampire beauty before me and memorizing every line of her face to analyze what just happened and what Godric thought of it.

"Sookie?" I asked in a small, disbelieving voice. Everything made sense at once and yet it answered absolutely none of my questions and caused even more. "You're alive?" I added in a tone that implied I very well thought I was hallucinating, which in reality was entirely possible.

"Undead," she responded in a somewhat sarcastic tone and I felt Godric's mirth erupt in my blood like confetti.

"Whatever," I responded in the same tone and slammed my mouth against hers for a toe-curling kiss. She was hesitant at first but quickly opened up and responded with the same need. I sank my hands into her golden hair and held her there, afraid if I loosened my grip she'd disappear and it all would've been some demented and torturous little fantasy. I smiled against her lips and nearly devoured her whole when her velvet tongue wrapped itself around my fang. I growled into the kiss and she shivered, which delighted me to no end. What delighted me even more was that all I felt coming from her in the bond was joy, affection, pleasure, and quickly rising lust. There was absolutely no doubt, no regret, and no thoughts about that idiot Compton.

When her arousal flooded the room, I nearly lost all that was left of my self-control. Her scent had always been potent- a mixture of wheat, honey, and sunshine. Now Godric's scent dominated it, adding an earthy overlay that smelled of untouched forests and rich soil. My eyes nearly rolled to the back of my head and stayed there. I was pretty sure I had just discovered my favorite scent in the world and my fangs would drop anytime I came across it.

The source of most of that scent chose that moment to unnecessarily clear his throat and remind us of his presence. Not that I blamed him. She was his newest progeny and barely over a month old. I had forgotten that little fact and the baby vamp that was Sookie may have had incredible self-control, but she was still quickly approaching bloodlust levels. We both were. If we didn't stop now we would end up having sex and feeding on each other in front of him. Not that I minded, but I wasn't sure Sookie was _that_ vampiric. Although, if I thought back to that hunt and how she ran her fangs along my jugular, then she was a lot more vampiric and predatory than I had ever expected her to become if I would be lucky enough to ever see her turned one day. Apparently, luck was on my side after all. But thinking about that just made me harder and I was already painfully hard, so I did my best to block it out and gently slowed the kiss before pulling back from her and trying to memorize her face all over again.

I rested my forehead against hers, watching as she breathed in tiny gasps of air she didn't need as I slid my hands from her hair to her waist and pulled her in for an embrace. Her forehead slid from mine to my jaw before burying her head against my neck and shoulder. I buried my own face in her hair and inhaled slowly, then slid my nose from her throat down to her shoulder and back again, scenting her as if her skin contained the only pure, breathable oxygen left in the world.

I was purring before I knew it and smiled to myself when I felt her mirth and affection for me dance its way across the bond. Who knew Sookie Stackhouse loved it so much when I purred?

I grew serious again when I thought about how I thought she was dead, as in truly dead, for the last month and what led to her turning.

"I thought I lost you, Sookie," I whispered into her hair while I clutched her tighter against me. "I thought I lost you and I never really had you." My voice may have broken a little at the end, but let's just say I was too distracted with her honeyed locks to be sure.

She didn't say a word in response, instead she just reached into the bond and stroked me with the most tender and gentle caress I had ever felt through the blood, using hundreds of her mental fingers to dance up my sides, slide across my cheeks, and into my hair where she gently scratched her nails across my scalp before sliding them back down my back and gently squeezing me around my middle in a gentle hug.

I was purring all over again.

When the most seductive and pleasing caress of my life came to an end, my lips kicked up in amusement again and I murmured, "Positive reinforcement."

We all burst into laughter and all of our bonds culminated in one giant one full of mirth and amusement and thereby demolishing any tension in the room. She pulled back from my chest and we both looked at Godric, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"You owe me a favor, Sookie."

Her blood protested and she eloquently argued, "Nuh-uh. His fangs dropped!"

My eyebrow quirked up at this, obviously realizing they were talking about me.

"And he growled," Godric argued back.

"So, then you would also owe me a favor, so wouldn't it cancel out?" she asked, looking adorably confused.

"Child, you never give away a favor in the supernatural world, even if it would cancel out one of your own," he said with a smile.

She turned and looked at me with a "seriously?" expression so I spoke up, "That's true. There's always the chance they won't call in their favor, but you always want to have one in your pocket just in case you need to call in yours."

I expected her to kick up a fuss about this but instead I felt her rationalize it out emotionally and let it settle before accepting it. Ironically, I think vampirism may have made her more rational. Really odd for the typical baby vamp.

"It doesn't really matter in the long run. I'd do anything for you, Godric, and you'd do anything for me, so what's a favor worth anyways?" she asked rationally and shrugged. He didn't argue with her, which wasn't all that surprising since he was her maker and she was right, but it was strange seeing them interact this way.

"So you bet each other I would either drop fang or growl when I saw you were a vampire?" They both nodded.

"You're lucky I didn't bite," I quipped, although that was actually true. Sookie was extremely edible.

"We know," they responded simultaneously and mirth once again erupted in my veins.

I smiled at them. They both appeared to be in very good spirits, they were both very happy. That was very odd for Godric. I hadn't seen him so up-lifted in at least a hundred years. Only Sookie Stackhouse could take a depressed vampire like Godric and turn him back into a happier, younger version of himself.

"This is why you wouldn't re-open the bond in Dallas?" I asked. Sookie sat back down next to Godric and I returned to my seat and slowly propped my feet up on my desk. I was very tempted to pull her with me and settle her on my lap, which she felt and responded to by sending me an emotional eye-roll.

"Yes," Godric answered. "I had limited time to bury her, so I couldn't spend the time I had explaining to you what the echo in the bond meant."

"I would've helped you though. Buried you, watched over you, and had clothing and donors ready for you," I reasoned. I would've loved seeing Sookie Stackhouse rise vampire. It might just be a new favorite fantasy for me.

I felt Sookie blush in the tie I had with her and turned to her with my eyebrows raised in confusion. What was she blushing for?

"Sorry. Just, um, remembering rising or something," she said in a small voice and I got a very strong wave of "Just leave me alone" when she felt my intrigue. I chuckled.

I also seriously wondered what happened at Sookie's rising to make her blush. Baby vampires were always emotional upon first rising and had little control over what they did with those emotions. Feeding for the first time often sparked lust and, since they had little control, lust usually translated into sex and blood sharing with their makers. Did Godric and Sookie have sex?

Blood sharing just strengthened their bond and Godric and Sookie's bond was incredibly strong. In fact, it was probably as strong as my own bond with Godric. It was definitely stronger than Godric's bond with Nora. It seemed likely that they had indeed strengthened their bond. I refused to think of it as sex when it was so natural for newborn vampires. What was curious though was the lack of scent. They didn't smell as though they had recently coupled. Could she have sated her thirst for her maker in less than a month?

These thoughts flew through my head in less than a second and I had to push back a little flare of jealousy and focus back on Godric.

I felt Godric's skepticism at Sookie's response though and when I turned to look at him, he was staring at me intently. He tugged on his bond with Sookie again and I felt her answer in the affirmative in the blood. He then pushed some type of request towards her and she agreed. I felt her concentrating for a second before she relaxed and Godric slipped his arm across her shoulders while sending her a small wave of gratitude. I had no idea what that exchange meant. Sookie had way more control over her bond than I did and she and Godric were obviously using it to converse in the blood. Godric and I had never done that before. I had never been able to manipulate it to that extent. I had already used my bond with Godric and my tie with Sookie much more tonight than I had used mine and Pam's in the past six months. Plus ours had been shut down altogether for the last month.

"Sookie is unique, Eric," Godric started, choosing his words carefully. "She rose with an extreme level of control over her emotions and the bond. She never had an emotional outburst and she never regretted being turned. It seemed she rose with an innate level of acceptance. She has also never experienced bloodlust."

He was very selective with the words he used, but I got the underlying message. Sookie was already in control when she rose and hadn't experienced bloodlust upon feeding, so there was no reason for her to sleep with Godric in order to reign in that lust. Sookie and Godric did not have sex upon her rising. In fact, if she was in that much control, I doubted very much that she had slept with Godric at all. As far as I knew, she had only ever slept with one person. She was a virgin when I first met her and was with Bill the last time I saw her. If she hadn't slept with Godric, then it was very possible she had yet to experience sex as a vampire.

It took every ounce of the control I had learned in a thousand years not to let my fangs drop with that little piece of knowledge.

I felt Godric narrow our bond a little bit and throw up a protective wall around it. After a second of analyzing his actions, I realized what he was doing. He was attempting to shield Sookie from feeling my rising lust in case I sent her into her first experience with bloodlust. I sent a sheepish thank you to him and understanding through the blood and had difficulty keeping my face straight when I felt his answering mirth in response. Sookie hadn't reacted to Godric's bond tampering and was in fact staring at her hands, so I assumed she felt neither my lust nor Godric's mirth (since it was pushed specifically towards me).

After I gained control over myself and my lust retreated back to its normal Sookie-induced state (which was still pretty high and would be more than enough to make her fangs drop if I pushed it towards her), Godric relaxed his control over our bond and gently opened it up to its full width. He was so subtle about it that Sookie never noticed. It appeared that his month with Sookie also increased his own abilities and control over his bonds, something his blood also told me.

"You have never shared blood?" I asked cautiously. Since Godric was being careful about the words he chose, I felt I should as well. I knew it was due to Sookie's sense of propriety, which was a rare trait in a vampire, and I didn't want to cause her any embarrassment over it. That trait was not something to be embarrassed about but respected. There were very few vampires in the world who were able to control their lust like she could and nearly zero baby vamps with that ability. I was astonished that she had never slept with our maker, but I was even more astonished that their bond was so strong if they hadn't. Were they able to share blood without igniting her lust?

"No, we have not," he said with a nod. He was saying no to the blood sharing but acknowledging that, yes, they did have an unusually strong bond. "When she rose, our bond was almost as strong as the one I have with you now. It also appears that a higher level of interaction through the blood increases the strength of the bond almost as much as exchanging blood would."

That was _interesting_.

It was something Godric and I hadn't known and would never have known if Sookie hadn't been so adept at manipulating the bond. It also made me consider my own blood interactions with her. If we continued pushing and sharing emotions with one another, could we increase the tie we had? We could feel each other pretty clearly when Godric opened the bonds because we each had incredibly strong bonds with Godric individually, but he had ultimate control and could separate our interactions with each other and shield our emotions like he had with my lust. Sookie and I also had a lot of control over what emotions we let each other experience because our tie was through Godric, which was part of the reason she was able to lock herself down so much during our game. Another reason was just the fact she had incredible control.

I would love to feel more of her though. Her emotions were so pure and intense. They were beautiful and I would very much like to feel them constantly. I'd had our tie thrown wide open since she had vamped out into the bar and I'd only held onto it more tightly since. My grip hadn't loosened once, even when Godric had narrowed my bond down. I was forcing my connection with her to stay open, which is why Godric realized he had to throw up a shield. I had wanted to feel her since I met her and had been thinking of ways to get her or even trick her into drinking my blood since she slapped me.

Now that I could feel her, I wasn't letting anyone take that connection away from me. I knew it would probably take a lot of convincing in order to get her to exchange blood with me now that she was a vampire and Godric had explained the effects and what it all meant, so if I could strengthen our individual connection through the exchange of emotions, then I would flood her with emotions constantly.

Godric sent me a sharp admonishment through the bond and my head whipped up to stare at him. I forgot he could do that. After a thousand years he knew exactly what I was thinking when the bond was open. He could read my emotions like a book and he likely put together what I was thinking about by reading into my plotting and the possessiveness I felt over my tie with Sookie. I internally cursed and Godric chuckled.

"Eric?" he asked expectantly. I knew that tone. He wanted me to explain myself. Sookie apparently knew that tone as well because she finally lifted her head up to look at me with her eyebrows drawn together and an expression that said "What did you do now?"

"I was just wondering, if what you say is true and interacting through the blood can strengthen a bond as much as exchanging blood can, if doing so would also strengthen my connection to Sookie," I stated without looking at her. I had been thinking about manipulating her into forming a stronger tie and had been caught out. I couldn't look at her when I explained it.

Sookie was confused. She was both worried I was thinking about the tie because I wanted to prevent forming a stronger one and apprehensive because she wasn't sure she wanted a stronger one herself. Then she sent her blood on a fact-finding mission.

She sent her blood out through Godric and cast a spotlight on my connection with him while simultaneously gripping my tie with her so that I couldn't pull back from her. She sifted through the blood and narrowed her focus on my possessive feelings towards her, my hope that I could be more connected towards her, and Godric's reaction to my plotting. My eyes widened as I felt her tighten her hold on my blood and dig in. She was so much stronger than I was when it came to control over the blood. Godric chuckled over my response sent her a burst of pride and me an emotional warning that felt a lot like "You're in for it now."

Then everything stopped. Sookie froze. I was still staring at Godric because I was apprehensive about Sookie's reaction and didn't see the expression on her face. Suddenly, I was swept up in a wave of dismay and our connection snapped. Somehow, she had pried the tie loose from my mental fingers and did something I had never heard a baby vampire being capable of doing before. She had blocked me entirely. I couldn't even feel an echo of her emotions through Godric. All I could feel was her life force. I had been trying to figure out a way to strengthen the connection between us and Sookie had just taken it away from me entirely.

"And that would be a punishment, Eric," Godric stated. I was still shell-shocked. It had never occurred to me that Sookie would, or even could, shut down the tie. Godric pitied me- that much I could tell. Actually, it wasn't pity, it was _empathy_. Sookie had done this before. She had somehow shut their incredible bond down when he did something she didn't like. What had he just called it? Ah, yes. A punishment. He was right; this was most definitely a punishment. Positive reinforcement and punishment. She was training Godric just as much as he was training her. It appeared she had already had the opportunity to be the mother in their relationship. Now she was training me.

"Sookie, I-" she cut me off before I could even begin to beg for her forgiveness. And I would have begged. Her emotions were so beautiful and it literally hurt to be cut off from her after experiencing them. I would do anything to get them back.

"I'm sick of being manipulated," she stated calmly. Way too calmly. The emotionless state of her voice made the hairs on the back of my neck rise and set off several internal alarm bells. This was Vampire Sookie. She was giving me a look into how she acted when she was in predator mode. She was a lot like a lion, completely calm and almost lazy and she used her voice in an understated way. It didn't make her any less ferocious and only made me more wary. It was also familiar. It was hauntingly similar to how I acted before I snapped.

For the first time since she had revealed herself, I noticed the changes in Sookie. Normally, Sookie looked so soft and inviting. She looked edgier now, as if there were some untapped strength or power resting beneath her skin. She dressed and styled herself just a little bit differently than normal, wearing straight hair instead of her normal curls with skin-tight jeans, a fitted red top that sensually teased the eyes, and a black synthetic leather jacket instead of the normal sundress. She still didn't wear much make-up, maybe just a little eyeliner to detract from the little bit of redness vampires had on the tips of our eyelids and some lip gloss that drew attention to her biggest weapon, her fangs. Luckily, they were still retracted so she wasn't out of control. Sookie was also wearing boots, like the country girl she was, but her boots now had stilettos. Since I both knew Godric was her maker and Sookie wasn't fashion conscious, it was likely she wore the shoes as weapons and the jeans instead of a dress because they would be less restrictive to her movements. I secretly hoped she still wore them. I would miss the sundresses if she didn't. They were just so _Sookie_.

She sat completely still with her eyes trained on me, unmoving in the way only the undead could be. Her skin glowed, indicating her supernatural status, but it wasn't quite the glow of a vampire. Honestly, it made Sookie look like something _more_ , something other than vampire. Somehow she had retained her beautiful tan but she was still a little paler than the last time I saw her and she gave off the aura of something dangerous, something untamed and wild. Something deadly.

Godric pushed a large wave of caution towards me and I quickly looked back at him to see him shake his head in warning before returning to look at her. Godric thought it safer if I didn't talk, so I wouldn't talk. Apparently I would not enjoy being prey again if Vampire Sookie took over. Remembering the last time I encountered her as predator had me remembering she could also shield herself completely. If she snapped and came at me, I wouldn't be able to sense her location this time. I sent my acquiescence to Godric. He was right. I was not the predator in this scenario.

"Eric, would you please give us a moment?" Godric asked me while keeping his eyes trained on her, ready to react if she moved.

Still worried I might set her off; I refrained from speaking and simply nodded. I walked out the door at human speed and had to tell myself over and over that I was _not_ running away. I was just giving Godric and Sookie a moment.

Somehow, I couldn't quite make myself believe that.


	6. Chapter 6: Manipulations and Motivations

_**A/N:**_

 _Oh boy, oh boy, do I have a treat for you!_

 _It's a whole chapter from Godric's perspective. Let me warn you now, this is a delicacy. You will not be seeing it much so enjoy it while you can._

* * *

 _I'm sorry. I'm having waay too much fun in these author notes. Feel free to smack me upside the head when I start coming across as annoying._

 _You just have to find me first._

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I don't own True Blood, SVM, the characters, the plot, or the Viking. Sadly. HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris do. *Shakes fist at them and growls*_

* * *

GPOV-

"Sookie, child, you need to relax," I said and sent her calm and reassurance. Normally, when dealing with a newborn vampire I would be saying "You need to control yourself." The opposite was true with Sookie, she was so tightly controlled that absolutely no emotions were coming through the bond. It was like listening to HD satellite radio then being slammed with static out of nowhere. It concerned me greatly when her emotions bottomed out like this and I found it hard to offer her comfort or explain anything to her when I didn't know what needed attention first. It was a little like operating blindly, which is something you did not want to do when around a vampire about to snap.

I needed to loosen the control she had over her emotions so that I could sense what her biggest issue was, though I knew without a doubt that all her issues had to do with Eric at the moment. I inwardly cursed him for his stupidity while I gradually increased the amount of calm, support, reassurance, and security I was sending her.

She had been doing so well tonight. Not that she hadn't always done well. In fact, we'd had relatively few setbacks at all since she had been turned and all of them had to do with betrayal and manipulation. Tonight though, she had been doing exceptionally well. She was letting herself trust Eric for the first time, allowed him feel how much affection she had for him, and had even let him kiss her. It had taken a lot of work to assure her Eric was not who he pretended to be around humans, assets, and vampires he didn't trust. Yet, Eric had just proven to her that he was. It was very aggravating to see that when Eric wanted something from Sookie his first impulse was to try to manipulate her into giving it to him.

Honestly, if he had just given her a little time to think it through, I'm sure she would've eventually said yes to either drinking some of his blood or exchanging with him. He should've realized that fact after feeling the amount of affection Sookie had for him. She didn't love him, but it was something very close and it could go one of two ways if he wasn't careful. She was either going to fall in love with him or decide she could trust him with her life but couldn't trust him with her heart and he would be relegated to a true brotherly role for eternity.

Which would be a shame since Eric already loved Sookie.

He just didn't realize it yet.

In fact, I was pretty sure, based on the emotions I had felt from the few times I had opened the bond to subtly check on him, that he had loved her for months. After Sookie had told me about their relationship and all their interactions, I was pretty sure I could pinpoint for him the exact moment he fell in love with her if he were to ask.

It happened when he summoned her and Sookie had negotiated with a thousand year old vampire for the lives of humans if she discovered they were guilty with her gift. For someone to stand up to Eric knowing what he was, how powerful he was, and honestly not be afraid of him? And then make demands of him, knowing he would have to give into her if he wanted her help? That would be intoxicating to Eric. As intoxicating to him as it was for me to see a human cry because she was afraid for me rather than afraid of me. I wasn't in love with Sookie though. The love I had for her was that of a father, a brother, and a son.

Not knowing how else to loosen her up, I sent her that love. All three forms of it. She relaxed instantly and threw her side of the bond wide open to accept it all, greedy for it. Then, stunning me once again (as was so very common these days around Sookie Stackhouse), she sent her own love back to me.

All three forms of it.

We both kept up a steady stream of love, both receiving and sending, and basked in the unconditional acceptance and depth of emotion we felt. It was the first time I had sent her love. It was the first time I had sent love at all, or received it for that matter. I knew Nora and Eric could occasionally feel that I loved them, but I had never sent it to someone before. Sookie was so much more affectionate than either of them so I took a chance, hoping that she would be able to discern the difference between this type of love and romantic love. She did and she returned it.

She loved me like she loved a father, as someone who could support and teach her, who she relied upon to take care of her and lend her strength. It was almost like childish adoration with a touch of awe. Then there was the love she felt for me as her son. It was tender and full of concern, and in a way she felt as if I was the most precious thing in her life. It was also stern when it needed to be and I could feel a backbone to it, she was only going to bend so much and then she would take control. It was also full of the warmest praise and devotion I could ever ask for. Finally, there was the love she felt for me as her brother. That love was the most interesting because I could feel this overwhelming sense of comradery, mischief, and amusement.

When I delved into that love and analyzed it, I could feel she was my best friend and wanted me to be happy. She also wanted to get into trouble with me and joke with me and be my wing-man. She invited me to do the same, wrapping me up in a hug emotionally and slipping her hand into mine in the real world. There was also this sense of good-natured rivalry and when I felt it, I knew she was comparing us at times because she wanted to improve herself, she looked up to me and I was her idol. Very much like a how a younger sister idolizes her older brother.

I was still sending and receiving a stream of love with Sookie when I felt Nora and Eric's reactions, which were varying degrees of entertaining and worrisome. At first, both felt awe and were overwhelmed by the amount of love I was sending Sookie. Nora could feel what Sookie was sending me in return, but Eric was still blocked. He could feel my reaction to what she was sending me though and sensed my pleasure and the different types of affection I felt for her in return. He could feel my stern love as father, teacher, and provider as well as the tender part that idolized my daughter. He could also feel my reaction to her motherly love and how at that point I loved her as a son would and how I looked up to her, how I felt supported by her, and how I would do anything for her. Then he felt my love for her in the role of an older brother. He felt how much I wanted her to be happy, how much I enjoyed her being in my life, my need to get up to antics with her, our sense of comradery and mischief, how much I supported her, and, finally, the extreme brotherly protectiveness and possessiveness I had towards her and how I very much wanted to kick his ass for trying to manipulate her and hurting her.

Eric quickly moved on from awe and incredulity and flooded me with remorse, guilt, and how idiotic he felt. After that, he felt envy. An all-encompassing sort of envy.

I was concerned at first that he envied Sookie since I had never before sent love to Eric but I realized pretty quickly the envy wasn't directed at Sookie, it was directed at me. He envied how much she loved me. In fact, he was outright jealous of the amount of love she was sending me. He was right to be jealous in a way, it was the most beautiful and purest emotion she had ever sent me and completely unconditional. As was mine. On the other hand, it wasn't romantic love, and if he gave her time (which she didn't need much of based on the level of affection she had for him in her blood), eventually he would get to experience that from her. With emotions as deep and pure as Sookie experienced, feeling that from her would be earth-shattering for him.

Concerned Eric was getting the wrong impression from our exchange, I sent him reassurance and affection and an emotional push that very strongly told him he had misunderstood. He responded back with disagreement and then sent a tidal wave of understanding as well as fatherly and brotherly affection with the devotion of a son. Well then, maybe he did understand. He then sent me his craving for all things Sookie and my lips kicked up. I sent him back my mirth and my own understanding.

He was envious because he craved all things Sookie.

Nora, on the other hand, had me seriously worried. Her awe had quickly morphed into shock, then rejection, and then anger. She was currently working herself towards rage and was also experiencing jealousy instead of envy. It was closely related but not the same thing. Envy would mean she wanted the love Sookie was experiencing. That wasn't what she wanted. She just didn't want Sookie to have it. I couldn't understand the reaction she was having so I reached out to soothe her but she slapped me away. I sent her a scolding and irritation which she immediately responded to with remorse. I then sent her a gentle wave of the love I had for her to see how she would react.

She was completely flabbergasted. Slowly, I dialed back the emotion I had sent her, then pushed a stronger wave of love towards her and smiled when she basked in the emotion washing over her. I tugged on our bond and sent her curiosity, obviously wanting to know if everything was all right and how she felt about being sent love. She sent me back happiness and a kiss on the cheek before directing her attention elsewhere. She was still experiencing jealousy but it was more of an irritation now and she no longer felt anger, rage, and rejection. She had realized Sookie wasn't the only one I loved, just the first one I had sent the emotion too. Eric didn't need that reassurance. Well, he did, just not from me. He needed it from _Sookie_.

I slowly dialed back the depth of the emotion I was sending to Sookie and she followed my lead. By the time we had stopped transmitting we both realized we were purring and we both had leaked a blood tear or two. Immediately the purrs were replaced by laughter and we both swept each other's tears up and popped them in our mouths. The bond shimmered and grew infinitesimally with the ingestion of blood.

"I thought that was an Eric sound, but I guess it's a vampire sound, huh?" she asked with a grin.

"I guess so. I'm not sure I've ever made that noise before, Sookie. I truly doubt I will ever get tired of the surprises that come my way with you," I confessed. She felt genuine pleasure when I spoke which made me happy in return. I was feeling her emotions now, which was a relief. Sookie was very angry with Eric and very hurt. She felt a smaller sense of the betrayal that she felt after Bill, but she felt betrayal nonetheless. She had slowly been gaining more trust and faith in Eric and he had destroyed that. Sookie now had faith that Eric would keep her safe but trusted him with little else, especially her heart.

This saddened me greatly. Honestly, I was rooting for Eric. I'd known of Sookie's attraction to Eric since the night she rose and I knew Eric loved her. He just doubted she could love him back so he hid the desire and need he felt for her and was trying to manipulate her into giving him a piece of herself. He didn't dare hope for her heart because he didn't think his own was worth having and therefore thought he had nothing to offer her. Sure, he could offer clothing, money, and every material thing in the world, but she couldn't care less about material things and he knew it. On one level, he felt he was more than worthy of her. On a deeper level, he doubted she could ever love him and, operating on that misguided notion, was screwing it up. He was so desperate for all things Sookie that he would settle for anything she gave him as long as it brought him closer to her, and because he doubted she would willingly give him anything, he plotted ways to take it.

"We must talk about what happened with Eric," I stated quietly, braced for her reaction. She didn't feel negative emotions much, but when she did and actually allowed herself to _feel_ them, she reacted strongly.

"You said I could trust him," she hissed with accusation. My eyebrows soared. _Hissing_ was new for Sookie. It also meant she was livid. Though she threw that at me in an accusing tone, she didn't blame me for anything that had happened and trusted me just as much as she had before.

I placed my hands on either side of her face and forced her to turn to look at me while I spoke with conviction, "You absolutely can, Sookie. You can trust Eric with anything." I sent her my complete confidence in Eric as I spoke. She sent me her doubt in return. Eric on the other hand was sending me his worry and his shame. He felt me send my confidence in him out and was worried that I had to do even that. He was just now realizing that he had jeopardized her trust in him and since we already told him we were going to be telling him things he couldn't repeat to his progeny, Sookie's trust was very important.

"I really don't think so, Godric. We had barely begun to tell him anythin' and he took that one piece of information and started schemin' with it," she argued, agitation swelling with every word. "If he's already plannin' to manipulate me when we gave him a crumb, what is he going to do with whole pecan?"

I simply sent her confusion. I didn't understand when she started talking human food or used southern sayings. I was slowly learning not to take everything so literally and she was learning not to use southern metaphors.

"It's a pie," she explained, exasperated. "I meant that Eric obviously believes knowledge is power. He even kept your role as his maker from me. He utilizes every piece of information he has and that's great when it comes to protection and strategy, but he can't use it AGAINST ME!" She finally lost her incredible control at the idea that Eric could use everything we're about to tell him against her and her fangs dropped.

Honestly, she had lasted ten minutes longer than I would have.

The bond was in an uproar. She was full of rage, suspicion, and pure exasperation. She felt like she had to pull teeth to learn anything from Eric and was so incredibly frustrated that anything she confided in Eric was used to entrap her in some way. Plus a very small part of her felt Eric was responsible for her death by keeping things from her. It was an incredibly small part but it was there. It helped me put her reaction to manipulation, especially by Eric, into perspective and I could see why she had shut down earlier. If she opened that door there was the potential that many negative thoughts and feelings would come barging in, and that would've been several steps backwards. So far she had never regretted her choice and I never wanted her to, in all honesty. She had already reached a level of acceptance that usually took the span of a mortal life to reach and I didn't want to jeopardize that by bringing Eric into this.

We needed Eric's help, but not at the cost of her emotional well-being. I would give her a choice, just like I did the night I turned her, and we would decide together if the future involved Eric in it.

I sent her as much acceptance and understanding as I could as well as a little regret and remorse while I said in a subdued tone, "All right, Sookie. If you don't trust Eric not to use this information to manipulate you, then we won't tell him. I would like his help, but not if makes your emotional state unstable. You can't control yourself so much all the time and if you're afraid Eric will use what he learns against you, you will be on edge constantly, and if you're always on edge you will-"

"Make mistakes," she finished for me in a whisper. I nodded. "That's what I'm afraid of, Godric. I need to trust him implicitly in order to relax around him and I'm not sure I can." A tear slipped down her cheek as she said this and it nearly broke my heart. She _wanted_ to trust Eric, badly, but he was making it hard for her.

Eric sensed my emotional upheaval from the other room and tensed.

I ignored him for the moment and focused on my youngest progeny. She was my priority and she needed my full attention. I then did something I didn't want to have to do again after I had reopened the bond, at least not for many years, I shut it down. Now all I could feel was Eric's life-force and his location.

"Oh, Sookie, love. It's all right," I reassured her and swept up her tear before I paused to think and decided to try changing tactics. "Do you remember the night you rose vampire?" I asked conversationally after pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead and dropping my hands from her face to her arms. She nodded and met my eyes. Sookie knew what I was saying was important, so she settled herself down and opened herself up to new information. It was amazing how she literally prepared herself to be open-minded instead of using a fake promise and leaving it at that. "Do you remember telling me you felt so ambivalent about Eric because you felt he was using you for your ability?"

I was paraphrasing, but she still nodded in agreement.

"I could tell from your blood that you felt you judged him prematurely and you gave serious consideration to the idea that Eric wanted you as an asset more for your own protection than for the use of your ability, correct?" I questioned. She nodded again. "What was it specifically about that conversation that changed your mind?"

"His motives. Nothing you said changed what he did, but his motives put it into a different perspective," she admitted honestly.

Good girl, Sookie.

"And tonight? What was he trying to do, Sookie? And what do you think his motivations were?" I asked her. If she was going to change her mind about Eric, now was the moment. If she couldn't, Sookie and I couldn't stay in Louisiana. All three of us would be on edge if we did and right now we couldn't afford to make mistakes.

"He wanted to manipulate me," she said with confusion. She didn't quite understand what I was asking.

"Eric wanted to manipulate you to do what, Sookie?" I tried again.

"Oh, he wanted to strengthen the tie, which I don't understand. Why would he want to feel me even more? We can already feel each other really well through you," she said contemplatively.

With this I shot her a sly smile and mischief mounted in my blood, but ultimately I decided to use a little more logic instead of teasing her. She needed to figure this out herself or she was constantly going to doubt it. I cleared my throat needlessly to bring her out of her thoughts and asked, "What would strengthening the tie do?"

"Make us more connected," she replied instantly. "I'm vampire now though, he can't control me with blood anymore, so what would be the point?" I silently agreed with her but feeling it just seemed to puzzle her more, so I took another approach.

I leaned back on the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and picked her right hand up with mine and stroked the back of it with my thumb, taking my time and acting like I was trying to figure it out as well.

"You examined his blood," I stated finally, pretending to be contemplative. "What was he feeling? What emotions was he experiencing when he was plotting to strengthen your tie?"

"Possessiveness. I thought he was feeling possessive over his emotions and his privacy, but when I took a closer look, he was feelin' possessive over mine. And he felt hope, he was hopin' he could manipulate me into makin' us more connected. He also felt shame when you called him out on it," she whispered. Now that she had finally said it, comprehension was beginning to flit across the bond. "But none of that explains why he wants to strengthen the connection between us."

"What would happen to the tie between the two of you if I ever had to close the bond down?" I asked her. What she really wanted to know was how Eric felt about her. Then she would understand why he wanted to feel closer to her, but she would never know how he felt about her unless she opened that connection back up and used it to analyze his feelings for her.

"It would disappear," she replied instantly and paused. "Oh." Apparently that was enough for her because she then retracted her fangs.

I smiled at her and sent her my amusement while I chuckled out, "Yes, 'oh.'"

"But why not just ask me if it would be okay to strengthen the tie? I mean, I'm not gonna be willin' to share blood with him until I trust him more, but I wouldn't have said no to strengthening it through emotional exchange. Why even plan to manipulate me?" she asked, thinking like any rational person would. Eric was not rational tonight.

"Because he is a high-handed asshole," I said soberly. _I meant it_. She laughed, which is what I was hoping for. "Plus I think he was afraid you wouldn't want to and was trying to avoid possible rejection, like he was the night he attempted glamouring you. Instead he lost all the ground he had gained tonight."

"If that's really true, then Eric's an idiot," she retorted while sending me a wave of exasperation.

"Yes, he is," I agreed, as did my blood and she giggled in response. "After taking this step by step, do you feel like you can trust him with more information? If you aren't willing to take that small leap of faith, then we will have to leave Louisiana. He already knows we were here to tell him something important and it will literally drive him crazy not knowing and then all three of us will be on edge around each other and prone to make mistakes. If we cannot tell him, you cannot live in Bon temps."

She grew serious and contemplative. Sookie wanted to live here. She wanted to see her family and friends again and she wanted to trust Eric, but she was still doubtful of him.

"What if I give you permission to read his mind again until he gains your trust back?" I asked. It really would be best for us, and for her emotionally, if we could stay in the area. Earlier, she had read Eric's thoughts and had emotionally blushed in the blood and it caught his attention. I had sent her a tug, which she knew meant "Was it something you read?" and she had answered in the affirmative. I then requested she not read anything more until he knew, or we would keep confusing him. I was building us up to that conversation and had already confused him once about her rising when he had started scheming and I had to halt the conversation.

She thought about it for a moment more and finally came to a decision. She took a breath and nodded, "Yes, I think if I could read his mind, until I trusted him more, than we could stay here. I can't read everything, because he thinks in another language like you do, but I would be able to sense if he were plottin' somethin' again and point it out to you. Or kick his ass myself."

Now I secretly hoped he'd try it. It would be amusing as hell. Because I had _no doubt_ she could.

"Good. I'm sorry he lost your confidence, but I'm sure he'll gain it back quickly. I could simply command him not to manipulate you," I grinned when I felt her immediate protest, "but then you would never trust him on your own. I do think you should reopen your tie though, that way you both will get a better understanding of each other."

She nodded in agreement and I quickly opened up my bond again with Eric. I felt my own eyes widen when I sensed his emotions and quickly tugged on my bond with Sookie so she could experience it as well. He was in a full-blown panic. He was full of anxiety, worried we would leave again, afraid he had hurt Sookie, full of remorse, regret, and shame for trying to manipulate her, concerned she would snap, and just desperate to feel her again. Sookie had opened her tie and was shocked.

She really had no idea how much she meant to Eric and was overwhelmed by his reaction to being cut off from her. When he lost his connection to me, he thought we had made a decision to leave the area. He wasn't far off, but his emotions had escalated in a very short time. Sookie only had a second to analyze his emotions before they quickly morphed into one giant mountain of relief when he realized I had opened the bond again. He did a quick search and found his tie to Sookie reopened and a very deep emotion briefly flickered (much too quick for Sookie to recognize) in his blood before he sent her a stream of affection, concern, remorse, sorrow, and shame. Hesitantly, she squeezed my hand, swallowed, and sent him forgiveness. He felt relief once again and sent her another small burst of affection and in return she tugged on his connection to let him know it was okay to come back into the room.

Eric returned to us at vamp speed holding a small cooler. He squatted in front of her and reached a hand out to brush a piece of hair behind her ear while quietly stating, "I'm sorry. I should have just asked you if you would mind strengthening the tie instead of trying to manipulate you like that. It's very hard for me to trust people, but you are a part of my bloodline now and I need to show you more trust. I truly regret it and I am sorry."

She nodded in agreement and he gave her a sheepish smile in response.

"I'm fine with the strengthening the tie, Eric. I need more time when it comes to exchanging blood but I don't mind havin' a stronger emotional connection with you. I just hate being manipulated. It's probably the one thing besides actin' aggressively towards me that will bring out the predator in me," she admitted weakly.

He nodded quickly and pushed understanding and gratefulness towards her, but we both could feel how shocked he was about her being willing to strengthen the tie. He was even more stunned that she hadn't outright refused to share blood, just asked for more time. Not only that, but she had spoken about _exchanging_ , which was the first level of bonding and I made sure to explain what bonding was along with all the effects of our blood after I brought her back to the safe house the night she rose. They could both strengthen the tie from drinking from each other separately, but she was willing to consider a first level bond in the future. By asking Sookie to reopen her side of the tie so she could feel his panic, I had allowed her a small glimpse into his true motivations and it seemed doing so had definitely been the right move. She hadn't said yes, but she hadn't said no, and was open to the possibility so Eric was now feeling hope. I showered Sookie in pride for not immediately rejecting the idea and for still being willing to strengthen the tie. She sent me gratitude back and smiled at Eric who gave her a genuine smile in response.


	7. Chapter 7: Bloodlust

_**A/N:**_

 _Hello, hello again. Shaboom, Shaboom._

 _[1] Yes, there was an error in the last chapter. My keyboard malfunctioned and I don't have a beta, so I didn't even see that it said "kiss ass" instead of "kick his ass" until after I posted. It's fixed now, but for all of you who had already moved on thinking "WTF?" That's what it was supposed to say._

 _[2] There are a couple quotes in this chapter you should recognize from our favorite dream sequence. And for all you SVM diehards, I'm pretty sure you'll see your favorite quote too. Favorite fairy quote. Favorite fairy scent quote. Whatever. You get it._

 _[3] I had a difficult time looking for a place to cut this chapter, so if this doesn't flow well into the next one, please just forgive me. It was all written like a giant chapter and now I have to cut it in pieces._

 _[4] I just have to say I freaking love writing Eric. He's so much fun._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own True Blood, SVM, their characters, or their plots. I also don't own their famous quotes. That does not mean I didn't play with them though. HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris own it all._

* * *

 **EPOV**

I was feeling very grateful at the moment. I was grateful that Sookie's inner predator was no longer being directed at me, grateful Godric had reopened the bond, grateful Sookie had forgiven me, grateful they hadn't decided to up and leave Louisiana after my stupid and idiotic stunt, grateful Sookie was no longer punishing me, and even grateful Godric had turned her. Now I had an eternity of Sookie Stackhouse to look forward to and that both excited me and pleased me to no end. Currently, I was just grateful for any and all things Sookie Stackhouse.

I spent another moment squatting before Sookie just staring at her pretty face. Gods, she really was beautiful- and not just her looks and her character, even her emotions were breathtaking. I must've spent just a moment too long staring at her because she blushed in their bond again while shifting uncomfortably, then pointed at the cooler in my hand and asked, "What's that?"

"Blood," I answered. All movement ceased, her fangs immediately dropped, and her eyes zeroed in on the cooler. My lust immediately hit the roof, my own fangs dropped like there was a direct line between hers and mine, and I released a breath.

See? Simply breath-taking.

Of course, Sookie was oblivious to my response because she was too focused on the blood, but I think Godric was even turned on by the reactions of his two progenies.

"I thought it would be a good idea to bring some blood back with me because drinking helps us focus a little more and settle ourselves after emotions have been running… high," I added as I opened the cooler. My eyes were still trained on Sookie though and if my fangs hadn't already dropped, they definitely would've when she licked her lips.

Beautiful.

" _What type_?" she purred and I nearly came. I suddenly, and very clearly, understood why she loved it when I purred. Damn, my new vampire sister was hot.

"Well, Godric's favorite is AB positive so I brought that in case you were the apple that didn't fall far from the tree. I also brought mine, B negative," I said as I pulled out one of each.

Sookie moaned.

I nearly dropped the bags and her hands shot out and steadied them. She growled at me and hissed out, " _Careful_."

Part of me wanted to forget the blood and devour _her_ and the other part of me wanted to drop the bags to see what she would do.

Sookie took the choice from me when she pulled the B negative out of my hand and said, "I'll take the B negative, Eric. Thank you."

She had yet to look up from the blood or she probably would've noticed the tent I had pitched in my pants. She sank her fangs into the bag without hesitation and began drinking the blood while I handed Godric the AB positive and fished out another B negative, all without taking my eyes from her. They were nice and warm since I decided to heat them up while I was waiting to be called back into the room. After my own little panic attack (okay, that was a lie- it was a big, big panic attack), I needed some blood myself and figured Sookie would as well.

She was beautiful when she fed. The way her throat moved was sensual, her eyes had closed in ecstasy, and she released the most erotic moans I had ever heard in my existence as she drank. I wanted to sweep her up in my arms, vamp her to my resting place, tie her to my bed and make her repeat those moans for very different reasons until dawn took us. I continued to watch as I sank my own fangs into a bag of blood and inhaled deeply when I scented her arousal.

They both could've smelled my own the moment her fangs dropped.

I was still drinking when she finished and opened her eyes and met my own. I hadn't moved from the spot in front of her so we were only inches apart. Honestly? I wanted to be even closer. I hadn't planned on being this close as we fed when I was warming up the blood; I appeared to just have luck on my side tonight. And I considered myself even luckier when I could feel her rising lust in the blood as she watched me finish draining the bag in my hands. When I finished, I put the bag away with one hand, grabbed Sookie by the back of the neck with the other, and brought her to me for another searing kiss.

I thought she tasted delicious the first time but now her mouth was still coated with my favorite type of blood and the combination made me moan. We licked the inside of each other's mouths clean of blood before I remembered how the last kiss ended and started to gently pull back before Godric could pointlessly clear his throat again.

Finally, we broke away from each other and I searched Sookie's face for a reaction. I had recently pissed her off and I hadn't meant to push the boundaries again so soon, so I wanted to gauge how much shit I was in this time. Sookie, though, had her eyes still focused on my mouth and you could color me surprised when she reached out and grabbed the collar of my jacket and yanked me back towards her so she could lick the corner of my mouth free of blood. I may have growled in response.

See? Lucky.

She finally released her grip and met my eyes. I didn't see any hesitation, anger, or annoyance in them. If anything, I was pretty sure she was still turned on. That was more than fine with me because I was still turned on too.

"Would you like another, Sookie?" I asked her hoarsely. Please say yes.

She nodded and I whipped a second bag out at vamp speed.

She kept her eyes firmly planted on mine while she drank the next three bags. And she didn't moan any less. The only way I would've felt more satisfied with my meal was if I was feeding from Sookie's thigh, vampire blood or not.

The only downside to drinking this intimately was that she definitely would've been thrown into bloodlust if Godric hadn't been suppressing her rising levels of lust. I wouldn't have minded, but I think Sookie wouldn't have appreciated having sex this soon after I pissed her off. It wouldn't have been considered make-up sex because we weren't a couple.

Though I desperately hoped we would be soon.

As it was, I was just thankful Godric hadn't asked me to step back or leave the room to keep her from losing control. If he had, there was a very high possibility I would've lost control instead. No way in hell would I let anyone remove me when Sookie Stackhouse was looking at me like that and making those delicious noises, which was something Godric obviously realized because he hadn't said a word about it.

I think I was still in some sort of Sookie-induced feeding trance when she finished her last bag of blood and handed it to me to place with the rest in the cooler. We still hadn't broken eye contact and I was very tempted to help her clean the blood from her lips again, but didn't want to push her pass the limits of her control, when Godric snapped me out of it with a tug on the bond and a call of my name.

"Eric, perhaps you could dispose of the bags for us while Sookie takes a minute to gather her control?" he asked, but his tone obviously brokered no room for argument. I smirked at him and received a healthy dose of his amusement in response before I nodded, retracted my fangs, and turned back to Sookie. I winked at her as I shut the lid of the cooler and picked it up.

She growled and my fangs dropped again. Screw it, I thought. They were going to stay right where they were for a while. I chuckled to myself about that fact as I stood up and walked out the door. I planned to _have dinner_ with Sookie every night for a long, long time to come.

I spent about five minutes out in the bar cleaning things up and organizing the mess that had been left when the fangbangers fled the club before Sookie's levels of lust had lowered enough for them both to be satisfied and I felt a dual tug on my bond and mirth in my veins, indicating they were ready for me to join them again.

My eyes found Sookie's immediately after I shut the door behind me and locked it (figuring we were finally going to have the discussion that they shepherded me away for). I searched her face and her blood for any signs of discomfort, regret, or embarrassment as I made my way back to the desk to sit down. I was relieved to find none and, once again, hope began to worm its way into my system that maybe she really wasn't interested in that antebellum jackass who had claimed her anymore. I was keeping my mental fingers crossed but also refused to bring him up in case I broke the vampiric spell that had settled over the bar and she remembered she loved him again. I'm not sure I could deal with that for eternity.

" _Well, Sookie_ ," I purred as I leaned forward in my chair and laced my hands together on the desk in front of me. "If I had known dining with you would be that _enjoyable_ , I would've invited you out for a drink months ago."

She rolled her eyes at me and quipped, "Somehow I think you would've found it less satisfying without my fangs."

"I disagree," I protested, as did my blood. "With a scent like yours, I think I would've found it just as _tasty_ with human blood in your veins."

She snickered and mirth bloomed across our tie and my lips kicked up at the intensity of it. Apparently, she found that funny. Maybe I wasn't losing my touch after all.

"I used to think you had no sense of humor," I said honestly with my lips twitching as I fleetingly raised my finger in her direction before lacing my hands back together. I was wrong, very, very wrong. The level of mischief in her blood was greater than my own.

"And I used to think you were made of cold, hard stone," she shot back immediately. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. I had not known that, I was oddly conflicted about successfully fooling this specific 25 year old human. Godric snickered at us. Or at me, I wasn't really sure at this point.

"And now?" I asked, generally curious now that she could feel my presence in her blood.

She paused for a moment before saying, "You're a big faker." She shrugged and added, "You feel." Then she spoke incredibly softly, like she was talking to herself, "You're deep."

Shit. She was gonna make me blush.

"I'm glad you think so, because I was beginning to doubt it myself," I joked before she could add anything else that'd make me react in the tie. I looked away from her as I considered how utterly bored I was before I met Sookie Stackhouse. I probably would have fit her descriptor before then. I probably would've fit it to a tee the night she walked into my club. Godric's laughter brought me back and I smirked at him before bringing us back to the main topic of… well, whatever it was we were supposed to be talking about.

"My progeny will be returning in about an hour, master," I said to get the ball rolling.

"Where is Pam anyway?" Sookie asked.

"I had a visit from the Queen and the Magister before you two showed up. I sent Pam on a few errands to get her the hell away from them," I admitted truthfully and crossed my arms. My eyes flitted between the two of them for a second before they settled on Godric. Sookie seemed content to just shoot the breeze, which I would've been happy to do with her any time, but we only had an hour to get the big stuff out of the way.

"We will come back to that, Eric," Godric said. I nodded so he continued. "As I was saying before your stunt earlier," I grimaced and shot apology to Sookie, "Sookie is unique. Not only did Sookie rise with self-control over both her emotions and the blood, she apparently rose with several gifts."

My eyebrow rose ever so slightly as I turned to look at her and asked, "Really?" She nodded and I pressed further, "Besides the shielding ability you used during the hunt?"

"Yes," she said. "We actually didn't learn about that until later, when Godric was teaching me how to track."

"Interesting timing since it makes you untraceable," I quipped. I beckoned her with a hand as I said, "Come. Out with it, lover, what other gifts do you have?" The _lover_ part just slipped out accidentally, but I'm glad it did. A little thrill ran through her, her lust shot up, and she shivered. My lips kicked up at her completely involuntary response, but we both decided not to draw attention to her reaction and pretended we didn't notice it. Godric, of course, had no such qualms and burst out laughing. Sookie emotionally blushed again and sent Godric her embarrassment in an attempt to shut him up but only got more mirth shot at her instead. I chuckled and sent her affection when she started to feel overly self-conscious and she smiled.

Godric continued for a silent Sookie when she very firmly shut her mouth (I'm guessing she was afraid of her fangs dropping) and no amount of tugging on the bond or encouragement from our maker could get her to say another word, "You are aware Sookie was not completely human before she was turned, Eric. Yes?"

I slowly turned my head in Sookie's direction to meet her eyes as I answered reluctantly, "Yes." I'd never had the chance to discuss this with her before and I didn't trust Compton with that knowledge. Her eyebrows shot up and hurt briefly flickered in the tie before she pulled herself back, not cutting me off but still distancing herself from me so I couldn't feel her as clearly. I tensed and clenched my jaw as my frustration flared to the point that I knew she could feel it as I reached out through the tie towards her and explained, "Sookie, I didn't know what you were. I just knew that you weren't human from your scent and your telepathy."

She relaxed a little and allowed me to stroke and soothe her emotionally. "Oh, and by the fact that you couldn't be glamoured," I added as an afterthought. I didn't know why this would be humorous, but apparently Godric and Sookie found it incredibly hilarious that I tried to glamour her and even though they kept completely emotionless faces, my blood absolutely buzzed and sizzled from the amount of mirth they found in my admission and amusement actually whizzed and bounced back and forth between them in the bond. I had no idea Sookie had such a poker-face and found myself even more grateful I could now feel her emotions.

"Godric?" I asked while tugging on his bond to get his attention. Honestly, sometimes he had the attention of a baby vamp. "You were saying? Her gifts?"

"Yes," he said after he settled down somewhat and quickly glanced at Sookie to reaffirm her permission to reveal this to me, or so I assumed. "Sookie was Fae."

My fangs dropped and my mouth watered. It was the typical reaction from a vampire to the word "Fairy," much like the bell was for Pavlov's dogs.

"Bullshit," I challenged. "I would've drained her." Sookie was sweet, but not _that_ sweet.

"Sookie?" Godric asked while keeping his eyes on me. He tugged on the bond and she responded by pushing agreement and an ocean's worth of trust towards him. He reacted by pushing strength, security, and pride towards her. "Reveal your true scent, child."

Before I even had a chance to respond to the fact that _Sookie could alter her scent,_ it disappeared. Somehow she had masked her scent alone and separated it from everything else she could also shield. Then the most delicious, mouthwatering, tantalizing, ambrosia-like aroma bloomed in the air. I was out of my seat with Sookie swept up into my arms before I had even realized she had released it. I tenderly caressed her everywhere while I buried my nose in her hair and rumbled louder than a blissful panther, making delightful, happy vampire noises.

" _Sookie_ ," I purred as I grazed the sensitive spot behind her ear with my lips. "When you smell like this, I just want to fuck you and bite you and rub myself _all over you_."

Before, when I had labeled her scent the best scent in the world, it was dominated by Godric's earthy scent of untouched forests and fresh soil topped by pure sunshine, wheat, and honey. Now it was reversed, and when I closed my eyes I was back in my homeland looking out at the fields with the sun beating down on my face while my mother was baking loaves of bread inside. _This was my favorite scent in the world._

I ran my nose along her shoulder, throat, and jaw before taking her earlobe between my teeth and gently nibbling on it, which made her giggle. Feeling emboldened by that reaction, it seemed I thought it wise (honestly I couldn't actually think at all and was reacting to Sookie on a completely instinctive level, and apparently I instinctively wanted to molest her) to flick my tongue out and taste her ear. I could feel her physically tremble in my arms and her lust for me rise, so I dragged my lips from her ear back down to her neck and scented her throat and shoulder again a couple times before pressing open-mouthed kisses along the crook of her neck so I could lick her skin and suck on it gently. She tasted like sunlight and I moaned. I wanted more. I started dragging my fangs across her jugular, stopping to flick my tongue out, suck on, and nibble any particularly tasty areas while I dropped my hands to her ass and squeezed her firmly. She whimpered in my hold and was turned on enough that her fangs dropped.

I pushed her up against the wall and slid my leg between her thighs while squeezing her ass again and grew incredibly frustrated when she didn't get the hint and wrap her legs around my waste, but I couldn't take my mouth away from her skin long enough to tell her what I wanted. Her arousal flooded the room, making her scent even more delicious, like a siren's call, and I reached down to the part of her that was calling out to me and stroked the front of her pants. She whimpered again and added that sinful moan of hers before biting her lip, which had me dragging my head up from her throat and pulling her lip between my own teeth to suck on for a second before I scolded her for biting it by growling out, "MINE!" She nodded with wide eyes, and since I had her acceptance that only I could bite her lip, I returned to "my spot" on her neck and licked it slowly and began to suck on it in order to prepare it for my fangs.

Apparently my overly-possessive growling was enough to clear Sookie's head sufficiently to see through the lust and her delicious scent disappeared. I growled again in frustration, but the taste of her skin was still magnificent enough to keep me glued to "my spot" and continuing my ministrations with my fangs. At least until I realized she was frantically pulling on my tie with her and when I went to sink my fangs into her neck, I couldn't even try. The shock was enough for my lust to come down a notch and my head to come up for air, which I gasped down like a man who'd been drowning. I then quickly realized Godric was speaking to me, had commanded me not to bite Sookie, and had a restraining hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head to clear away the last of the residual sunshine that had apparently fried my brain and realized I was still pinning her to the wall, grabbing her ass, and stroking her. I very slowly released her butt and slowed my ministrations on her front. I thought it would be cruel to stop when she was this close to climaxing but quickly realized she might not forgive me for making her climax in front of Godric when I couldn't even blame my actions on her scent anymore. Instead, I opted for bringing her down gently so I didn't shock her more than I already had tonight. When she realized I was coming back to myself she looked up at me with concern.

I grinned wickedly at her before dipping my head to press a very tender kiss to her mouth and tasting her one last time before I stopped my stroking completely, reached up to sink both my hands into hair and deepened the kiss a little before finally pulling back (I didn't know if she would let me within a mile of her after this moment, so I had to kiss her one last time before she banned me from her presence), placing a chaste peck on her very bitable lips, and joked by repeating my line from earlier, "Forgive me, sister. I apologize. I had no reason to doubt your word and your Fae abilities… and you are most _definitely_ Fae."

I was sending my thanks to the gods when she laughed and playfully pushed at my shoulders instead of slapping me. I backed away slowly, which meant removing my leg from between her thighs and comically watched her slide down about eight inches until her toes finally reached the floor. My hands then shot out to grab her hips to steady her when she kept sliding because her knees had given out. I sent her my mirth, because- come on- we hadn't even had sex and she couldn't walk, to which she just responded with an open mouth and wide eyes. Godric thought it was funny though. He laughed too.

When she was finally steady enough to stand on her own and no longer in danger of ending up a heap of limbs on the floor, I slowly released her and backed away, unable to break my eye contact with her. She was not reacting the way I expected her to, so I didn't know whether to feel encouraged or concerned. Human Sookie would've slapped me, probably twice, and stormed out of the room. But this was not Human Sookie. This was Vampire Sookie. Or Fairy Sookie. This was Faepire Sookie, and I had no idea what to do with that. I knew what I potentially could _do_ with that, but not how to handle it.

"Were you always this potent? Could you always alter your scent like that?" I asked intently. If she could, it would definitely explain Bill Compton's overly possessive behavior with her. On the other hand, her blood had most definitely not smelled that rich or Pam, Chow, Bill, and I wouldn't have been able to control ourselves around it.

Apparently, Sookie still couldn't speak, so she just shook her head and Godric stepped in for her. I still couldn't take my eyes off her and I think she was experiencing the same issues because she didn't even blink as she stared back at me. She finally retracted her fangs though.

"No, her blood was not nearly as potent when I turned her. I believe Sookie used to be a human-fairy hybrid, which is why you didn't realize she was Fae. It appears the transition and the strength of my blood awakened and strengthened her essential spark. It wasn't until after she was turned and I tasted one of her tears the night she rose-"

"Tears?" I interrupted. "I thought she didn't grieve when she rose?" They both ignored me. Apparently that was _classified_.

"-that I realized she was Fae and the taste was purer. Instead of dying with her heartbeat, her spark grew stronger. I think her spark somehow filters her blood and restores the fairy potency. I expressed my concern over the taste and her scent and Sookie, concerned others may hold her captive for her taste-" I growled, "wished she could mask her scent and bottle it up. It then disappeared entirely and we've been playing around with it since until we found the right combination to depict what she should smell like if she were an average vampire."

Sookie whimpered. I cocked my head and threw the tie under a microscope to analyze her reaction. She felt extremely vulnerable at the moment. She felt like a freak of nature, an abomination, an outcast who couldn't even die properly. She was beating herself up for not being normal, not being the "average" vampire and was full of self-loathing. I had her back in my arms before Godric's first bout of reassurance and affection had even reached her side of the bond and began stroking her hair as I sent her my own affection, appreciation, reassurance, strength, security, awe of her abilities, gratefulness she was alive (undead), assurance that she was not a freak but a gift, and agreement that she was not average, she was extraordinary. I wasn't really monitoring everything I sent, so I guess I pushed my lust for her and possessiveness of her too because her fangs dropped and she growled.

"You are extremely possessive," she muttered.

"Only for Sookie," I quipped and sent her my sheepish apology while Godric laughed. This time I didn't give her the opportunity to protest when I sat down on the couch, quickly followed by Godric and angled myself to face him, and settled her in my lap. She curled up in it like she belonged there and reached her arms around my neck and tucked her head into my throat tiredly. Vampires never got tired physically, but we did get weary emotionally, and this had been one long-ass, emotional night for the baby vamp in my arms. I gently ran my hands over her back in a continuous motion and she melted into me. I smiled, pressed my lips to her hair, and looked back up at Godric. He was watching her and smiled tenderly at her too.

"Why didn't you react the way I did?" I asked him. He had seemed completely collected and unaffected by her scent and I hadn't felt Godric struggling for control.

"I'm not really sure," he confessed. "I think there are two possibilities. Either it is because I'm her maker or because we share a bond. Perhaps it could be both. Her blood tastes delicious to me, but only fractionally more potent than when it was at the time of her death. I can smell the difference in the potency, but it's similar to the way a human smells a rose compared to a daisy. It smells incredibly sweeter, but doesn't really affect me.'

"Though, I am surprised with how you reacted. I didn't realize there was that drastic a change in her scent and I thought if anything you would be tempted to drain her immediately rather than… physically taste her in the way in which you had attempted. I issued the command immediately after she released her scent because I could tell you were no longer capable of reason and were reacting solely on your instincts. She was never in any danger of being bitten and drained. The instincts you were reacting on though were… interesting."

I had my own theories on why my instincts were to sate myself with her body instead of her blood. It was because I had _never_ been solely interested in Sookie for her scent. My desire for her had nothing to do with her blood- it was just an added bonus. I wanted her. My instincts were driving me to claim her. I was positive Godric knew this, but I was not about to announce that to Sookie. She would just roll her eyes at me and call me a caveman.

"Do you think that's how other vampires will react? Like Eric did?" Sookie hesitantly asked from her spot tucked away between my neck and shoulder.

I immediately tensed and growled. Possessiveness and the need to protect ignited in my blood. I did not like the idea of hundreds of vampires swarming her in an attempt to claim Sookie's body. She was mine, damn it. She just hadn't realized it yet.

"I would tear them a part before they even got to you," I snarled. Godric and Sookie both laughed and Sookie slapped my shoulder, which made me growl again. A much sexier growl. She shivered and I purred. Godric just chuckled.

"I don't believe so, Sookie. I think Eric's reaction was unique to him. I think all others would be quick to bite and sate their thirst for your blood first, and they will not be nearly as gentle, which is why you must always maintain the altered scent we came up with," Godric stressed. I completely agreed.

He turned to me and added, "Luckily, the ability to mask her scent also seems to apply to her blood, not just her body. So vampires will only be sent into a feeding frenzy if they taste her blood or smell her true scent. She will not be at risk of driving anyone to bloodlust by being injured."

That _was_ lucky. We would not be able to keep this secret if bleeding revealed what she was. She was vampire, eventually she would be injured. Even if she was incredibly careful and cautious, she couldn't stop herself from bleeding in front of others for eternity.

"You both reacted wisely in that situation," I commented. Sookie peeked up at me and had confusion written all over her face. "If Godric had tried to take you from me or pull me away from you, I would've seen it as a challenge and lashed out violently. In reality I was very gentle with you, very aggressive, but very gentle. Even though I was gentle with you, I was in the throes of bloodlust. My capacity for higher reasoning had been switched off and I was one hundred percent vampire, one hundred percent predator, in that moment. I would've fought with Godric until the true death, and if you had shielded yourself and used that nifty little trick you have to disappear physically and emotionally, it would've thrown me into a rage.'

"Fortunately, you were able to throw off your own escalating bloodlust and shut off your scent, so I was able to pay attention to our tie. If you had tried to defend yourself physically, it's possible I would've reacted violently and viciously. Reaching out through the blood was the most intelligent thing you could've done to bring me back quickly, Sookie." I sent her affection, praise, and awe of her instincts as I spoke to her. She thanked me by caressing the bond again and, like always, I purred.

"I realized you were in bloodlust, Eric. And when you claimed ownership of my lip," Sookie said while rolling her eyes and sending us both all the mirth she felt at that stunt, "I also realized you had to come back to yourself if we had any chance of stopping you. You were way too possessive in that moment to try anything else."

Godric and I both sent her pride for that. We sent pride for thinking rationally, pride for being able to throw off bloodlust (and if it had been anyone but Sookie, I would've said NO baby vampire could escape that level of bloodlust), and pride that she kept in control instead of panicking. I may not have been able to bite her, but so many other things could've gone wrong because Godric hadn't realized how potent Sookie's scent had become.


	8. Chapter 8: Tattletale Blood

**A/N:**

[1] Yes, the font is bigger on this page. No, I don't know why. I do know that it has been taking FOREVER to upload because I have to keep going back into each chapter to change the font, then go through and make sure it didn't delete my italics. Y'all need to know what part Eric _purrs_ , right? Well, since so many of you have expressed an interest in _more_ (more what? everything apparently) tonight, I'm not going to correct the stupid font. It really takes too long, so I hope that's okay and y'all enjoy the big letters.

[2] I'm pretty sure chapter 4 is now chapter 4. I haven't been able to check out my own pages since I started posting so _thank you_ to all you awesome people who pointed my screw up out to me. Who needs a beta? I got _reviewers_.

[3] This chapter's a little bit longer. I think I might be making them longer from here on out, though. I really have a lot left to post. _It's a good think y'all like it, because I got a lot of it._

[4] You're gonna enjoy this.

 _ **Disclaimer** : I do not own TB, SVM, their characters, or their plots. I just like injecting them full of mirth. HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris own it all!_

* * *

After sending us gratitude, Sookie sighed and tucked herself back into my neck. It was obvious we still had more to talk about, but Sookie had been through so much in one night that neither Godric nor I were surprised when she slipped into downtime as she relaxed. We lapsed into contemplative silence for a moment before I psyched myself up to ask about the one thing that would truly put a spotlight on her. I had hoped it was no longer an issue, but if her spark was stronger, then her ability likely was as well.

"Her telepathy?" I asked quietly. Sookie tensed, bringing herself out of downtime, and I sent her reassurance and understanding along with conviction and companionship. Translation: nothing either of you say will scare me off. She relaxed again instantly and sent me back her gratitude and something else I never thought I would feel from Sookie, especially after I molested her, her trust.

"It's stronger, Eric," he stated in a voice barely above a whisper. Okay, I thought. So she can hear more now, a bigger range, more supernaturals. We'll hide it. Say it died with her body. "She has more control over her shields and can block thoughts entirely if she wants and after some experimenting, she discovered she can also apply filters to it. She can dig through minds to look for thoughts and information they aren't actively thinking about and can tune out entire groups of thoughts so she doesn't have to listen to mindless chatter anymore. Emotions don't wipe her shields out like they did before either, though we didn't really test that aspect as well because her emotions are never that out of control. When used in combination with her glamouring skill, she can also transmit her own thoughts."

All of that was fascinating but very positive things. I didn't understand why she was feeling so apprehensive about what Godric was telling me. Her apprehension seemed to be mounting and my incomprehension grew with it.

"She can now also hear vampire minds," he added, scattering all possibility of having rational thought to the winds.

I froze. Sookie would be hunted. They would destroy her. Vampires would never allow her to exist with an ability like that. Add her ability to shield and drive vampires to bloodlust, and the Authority would deem her too powerful and order her death.

Sookie effectively put a stop to those thoughts when she whimpered again and her fangs dropped, effectively pressing against my neck and sending a shiver down my spine. She had obviously been reading my thoughts and they dropped when her rising fear became too much.

I had to physically force myself not to think anything sexual with her teeth still pressed against my throat. It was hard to do.

Very, very _hard._

It was at that moment though that I realized nobody would destroy her. I would tear apart anybody who got close enough to touch her. I wanted her too much to let anyone take her away from me again. The last month I spent without her was hell and I was not going back to that. If anybody took her, either for her blood or her talents, I would tear the world apart looking for her. So would Godric, for that matter. She had completely turned his life around. I had never, ever seen him as happy as he had been in the last couple of hours. Sookie had two of the most powerful vampires in the world to look out for her plus her own incredible talents that we would bust our asses off to keep secret.

"Did you hear any of that, Sookie?" I tilted my head down, brought my lips to her ear, and whispered, hoping she had. She was still scared shitless with her fangs drawn against my throat, so I doubted she did.

"I couldn't understand. You think in a different language most of the time, but I can read the images and the emotions that go with them," she confessed against my throat.

Well, then maybe I could convey it in the blood. I sent her every protective and possessive instinct I had along with a sense of security and confidence.

It was too much. She flinched from the sheer volume and her fangs cut a small gash about an inch in length down my throat and she growled, "MINE!"

My fangs automatically dropped at her emotionally-induced, completely untrue declaration. But my blood gave away any possibility of a protest or denial when it very vocally agreed and cried out, "Yes, I am!"

Godric burst out laughing harder than when I lost the hunt and Sookie pulled back to look at me in surprise with wide eyes and retracted her fangs. Mine followed suit.

Absolutely zero emotions came from either of us as we stared at each other. I had no idea how she felt about my blood's declaration and she had no idea if I regretted it. Both sides of the tie were purely white noise and static while Godric's was practically shouting mirth and triumph through a megaphone. I had no control over what my blood agreed to. I could usually limit what it said, but the blood was sacred and couldn't fabricate something like that if I genuinely felt it to be untrue. It revealed how we felt whether we wanted it to or not, the only control we had was to what degree we let it share with others, and according to my blood, I obviously felt that I belonged to Sookie Stackhouse.

How was I even supposed to _try_ to explain something like that? I simply couldn't.

Instead I dipped my head and pressed my lips to hers and sealed the deal with a kiss while I sent her my agreement. You couldn't go back on a deal in blood anyway, I added to myself mentally, so why even try?

The kiss was beyond sexy, like every single one I had with her tonight. It was kind of ironic. I couldn't even get invited inside her house when she was human, then she shows up at my bar with fangs and I get three, four in one night? I definitely liked Vampire Sookie.

Speaking of fangs, I traced the outline of hers with my tongue, wondering if she really knew what she was doing to vampires when she stroked their fangs. I hit the sweet spot and they dropped for me. I wrapped my tongue around one like she had done to me several times already and her lust sky-rocketed and she growled deeply into my mouth, which in turn made me purr into hers. I stroked it to the tip and then the other one and swear she went into some kind of lust-induced coma.

Before she got revenge and hit my sweet spot.

She rolled her tongue over my fang while she rolled her body and grinded down against my hips. Damn. I did not see that one coming. _Talk about rivalry and one_ - _upmanship_. I growled and may have pressed her into me further using my hands to grip her waist. She didn't fight me on it. I leaned forward and she wrapped her legs around me before she stroked my fangs again and I nearly devoured her, growling the second her tongue touched them, which delighted her according to the blood. Before anything could escalate Godric pointlessly cleared his throat again.

I pulled back, frustrated, from a gasping and very willing Sookie and looked at him incredulously and asked, "There's even more?" He nodded seriously, but the gravity of the situation was thrown off by the blood tears he was wiping away and the brilliant smile on his face.

I waited impatiently for him to explain but all thoughts other than _Sookie_ flew out the window with the feel of Sookie's velvet tongue on my throat. I stared at Godric wide-eyed while Sookie licked a trail of blood up to the source on my neck and closed it with her saliva. He laughed all over again at my expression and another tear escaped. I felt Sookie pull back, her forehead grazing my jaw as she moved, and I looked down at her dumbfounded. I had not expected that and found myself wondering if the blood was too tempting for her since she was only a month old or if she had done it on purpose.

She quickly settled that question by quietly stating, "Mine." My blood agreed and I echoed it by nodding with my mouth still hanging open and she grinned wickedly up at me.

The small tie quivered for a minute than stretched itself forward and connected with my side, doubling the width of her side (which was still nowhere close to a bond of any type)and strengthening the quality of the emotions I felt from her. My blood seemed to actually rejoice once it was inside her and bounced around excitedly for a moment before sensing warmth and migrating towards it, coming to a halt around the warmest part of her body, her heart.

I reached out in astonishment once I realized this and rested my palm over her heart. It was definitely warmer than the rest of her body and almost felt normal in temperature. Me? I was as warm as a corpse. I thought through a million possibilities before I realized what it was I was feeling underneath my palm, her spark.

Sookie looked up at me in confusion and when I remained speechless, she tugged on my connection and snapped her mental fingers to get my attention.

"Eric, what is it?" she asked.

"My blood, every cell you just drank buzzed around excitedly in your veins and then migrated to the warmest part of your body," I explained, bringing her hand up and placing it palm down against her chest beneath mine, so she could feel her own increased temperature, over her heart. "I believe that this is where your essential spark is. It's the warmest part of you and the most beautiful, your heart. Apparently my blood wants to be as close as it can get to it."

I was honestly just explaining the facts as I knew them, but Sookie was very touched with what I said and a blood tear slipped town her cheek. Without even thinking twice about it, I scooped it up and popped it in my mouth.

Her blood was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. It was sweeter than the finest mead and physically warmed me the same way sunlight had once warmed me when it touched my skin. She literally carried ambrosia in her veins, the food for the gods. I felt like the gates of Valhalla had swung open and welcomed me with open-arms after a thousand years of darkness and I moaned at the scintillating flavor, vampire blood or not. Then I purred.

Immediately, the tie shivered again, the sides evened out, and the overall connection became stronger, tougher. We had not bonded, just strengthened the tie. Sookie smiled when she felt the connection become stronger and she actually felt… relieved to be on an equal playing field once again.

We both focused on her blood for a moment to see exactly what it was up to. Whereas my blood seemed to rejoice once it was inside Sookie and was doing everything it could to get to the strongest, most emotional part of her, Sookie's blood seemed to be _playing_ and goofing around. It seemed Sookie's mischief was ingrained in her at a cellular level. We both laughed at that.

Godric slipped out for a moment before I started explaining to Sookie what my blood was doing and returned with three warmed True Bloods for us to drink while we spoke, obviously trying to avoid adding anymore temptation tonight and hoping to stabilize all of the crazy emotions we had experienced in the last fifteen minutes. Sookie unwound her legs from around my waist and slid off my lap. The spot between Godric and I on the couch was definitely not big enough for her to fit into. I sighed and stood up. She settled into my spot with a smile and a gentle wave of gratitude. I snagged a chair from in front of my desk and turned it around to face them and I sat down before reaching over and pulling one of her feet into my lap. I settled myself by gently stroking her jean covered calf while Godric laced a hand with hers.

He gently squeezed it after pointedly waiting for her to take a couple sips of True Blood, which she did with a comically disgusted look on her face, before she settled the bottle between her legs.

Godric sighed before he lifted her hand to his lips, kissed the back of it, and added more to the emotional heap of crap we were dealing with.

"We believe Sookie is a descendent of the Sky Fae," Godric said. The ruling clan of fairies. Interesting. "The Sky Fae have the ability to manipulate light and harness the power of sunlight in the palms of their hands."

"So the shielding?" I asked, remembering how the light seemed to bend and shift around her features.

"Yep," she said. "That was me manipulating light."

"And what confirmed for us that she was most likely from that clan. That and her scent, since she smells like sunlight," he added.

"Well, Sookie, aren't you just a ray of sunshine," I purred and winked at her, then enjoyed the beautiful sound of her laughter.

"She can also wield sunlight in the palm of her hands as a weapon. She can both burn and blast people and things with it. We're not sure what else it can do," Godric admitted. Sookie raised her hand with her palm lifted upwards and released enough light for a small ball to form and started to bounce it before reabsorbing it back into herself. She shivered in delight and pleasure radiated across the bond, enough to make my fangs throb.

"Wow, and now you come equipped with your own pocket full of sunshine," I quipped, a little awed.

"It's not all she can do, Eric. She seems to have developed the abilities of a full-blooded fairy, including teleportation. I don't know any fairies well enough to know everything they're capable of, but I doubt there is anything a typical Sky Fae can do that she cannot," he confessed. "And there's one more thing, that I believe specifically has to do with Sookie's capability to wield Sunlight. She can day-walk."

Fuck.

That was both incredibly cool and incredibly dangerous.

I whistled, and may have lost my focus imagining Vampire Sookie flitting around during the day snap, crack, and popping from one place to another and blasting people off their feet. I could only assume my absurd fantasy was a form of vampire shock.

I refused to analyze the fact she was naked too closely.

" _Eric!"_ Sookie said while literally slapping me through the bond. "Eric?"

I knew I wasn't going to get away with her not slapping me for something tonight. I shook myself and focused. I looked around in a daze and realized I was still holding a relatively untouched True Blood. _Perfect_ , I thought and finished it off with one gulp. I needed to come to attention and quickly. None of us could afford mistakes at the moment.

"I always knew you would make an excellent vampire, Sookie," I said, not the least bit surprised my voice was still laced with the awe I was currently experiencing for her.

"Yeah?" she asked with a small smile.

"Yeah," I repeated. "You had the right temperate for a vampire. Godric obviously agreed," I added while indicating him with the way I tipped my bottle towards him. He was nodding along in agreement, which made me smile. Of course, I had always thought I would be her maker, not her brother.

I was just relieved she was a part of my bloodline and not Compton's. I couldn't stand that little shit and he didn't deserve to share blood with her. Though she hadn't brought him up once since she arrived here and I was entirely too hesitant to ask. She hadn't declared herself Bill's once, which had to be some kind of record. In fact, instead of asserting his claim on her, she had placed a claim on _me,_ loudly and by complete accident. Then quietly and with complete confidence.

And, holy shit, did it turn me on.

"You know, you would have eventually gotten used to no sunlight. We all do. Trade the sun in for the moon and the stars," I said conversationally and shrugged.

"Not me," she said in denial. Her blood very vocally agreed. "I want it all."

" _Greedy_ ," I purred, smiling. "I like it."

I honestly couldn't believe there was a time I had ever been bored with my life. I certainly hadn't had a break since Sookie Stackhouse had waltzed into it, with the exception of the last month and that wasn't much of a rest. It was a trip to Hades, and I never wanted to go back.

When I realized Sookie would be around for the rest of eternity, and would keep the delicious tan she had on top of it, I experienced a very surreal moment of intense pleasure and bone-weariness. She was mine, but she was trouble. Sookie would keep me on my toes for the rest of my potentially long, long life.

And the idea pleased me to no end.

"What happens during the day, do you go to rest at all?" I asked. I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life in one, endless, sleepless cycle. She needed time to decompress. So, for the first time since Godric's announcement, I wished she couldn't day-walk. Not because it was dangerous. In fact, I seriously doubted anything could truly end her now. She could hear any danger coming a mile away, pop away from it or blast them to kingdom come, or simply disappear, sneak up behind them and rip into their necks…

Again, I had to force myself not to drop fang.

"I still go to rest," she admitted. "But I'm not pulled by the sun. I slip into downtime and then something very similar to sleep, like I did when I was human. I generally rest as long as I want, but not past sunset. I usually wake myself up when I feel Godric come alive in my blood."

I sent her my relief and watched puzzled as she and Godric broke into full-bellied laughs. Confused, I asked, "What? What's so funny?"

"We tell you Sookie can day-walk and you're primary concern is whether she gets enough rest," Godric explained between laughs and gasps for air.

I shrugged, "What can I say? The more you appear to be different, Sookie, the more you seem to be the same." Apparently she liked that. She sent me affection and tenderness because of it.

"I don't know if I will ever get used to _that_ ," I sighed out wistfully and squeezed her calf. I slid my hand down to the hem of her jeans, fiddled with it for a second before I slipped my hand beneath it and up to her slightly warmer skin to stroke it softly. I wanted to feel her, skin to skin. She shivered and I smirked. I was becoming seriously addicted to how she reacted to my touch.

"Used to what? The day-walkin' or being so connected to me?" she asked.

"Neither," I clarified. She looked up from my wandering hand to shoot me a raised eyebrow that said I hadn't clarified enough and raised the disgusting True Blood to her lips. I didn't care about the taste though, I wanted to help her clean her lips of it anyways. "Used to receiving affection from you."

I felt an odd combination of sadness, pleasure, and regret wash over her and she sent me a greater dose of affection, smothering me in it, and stroked me through the bond. I stretched and purred like a cat, completely blown away by my reward and yet puzzled by her own reaction. Why did that make her sad and regretful?

Godric reached out to me and tugged on the bond. I glanced at him, felt him narrow the bond again, and throw up another protective shield. He then sent me brotherly possessiveness over Sookie, protectiveness, cautiousness, and a very firm push that clearly said, "Don't ask. Wait."

I responded with confusion but submission. I wouldn't ask. I then sent him my own protectiveness in a push that said, "I would never harm her," and he smiled. He then pushed me gratefulness and removed the shield.

Once he opened my side of the bond back up, I focused back on Sookie, who was back to staring at my wandering hand and still feeling sad and regretful. Besides her anger, they were the only negative emotions I had felt all night. Godric had forbidden me to ask, but not to reach out to her. I sent her a very tender nuzzle through the tie, to which she answered with a blush, and I coated her from head to toe with affection and appreciation that I swept over her in a gentle caress. She was purring the second I had begun pushing affection, which definitely was a turn-on, so I threw her a little friskiness and humor as well. Her head shot up to look at me and I simply winked. She slapped my wandering hand and I sent her exaggerated hurt. Sookie laughed and sent me back exasperation.

Godric appeared to be watching our exchange with complete fascination. He threw up a shield again before he pushed me gratefulness, pride, and affection. I sent him back even more gratefulness. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, so I glanced at the still laughing Sookie pointedly before looking back to him. I sent him grief, loneliness, sadness, a little despair, and a push explaining how broken I felt without her. All of which I had experienced in the last month, even if I didn't understand why I had felt that way. Then I sent him my craving for all things Sookie and my gratefulness to have her here. I was thanking him for turning her without words. I was thanking him again for also bringing her back to Louisiana.

He smiled a dazzling smile and pushed me fatherly love, which he felt for both me and Sookie, a push that obviously said "You're welcome," and his pride in his newest progeny. He then apprehensively paused a second before sending me his own loneliness, his grief, his weariness, his hopelessness, and a sense of being absolutely lost before washing me with sincere gratitude, mirth, a sense of purpose and direction, determination, and the awe he felt for Sookie. It took me a second, but I realized he was thanking me for sending Sookie to the Fellowship. He was telling me he had given up in every sense of the word but now he felt renewed, that he had found meaning again and determination to see it through.

I sadly realized that I had been right, Godric was there willingly to meet the sun and Sookie had not only kept him from ending his existence, she had given him a new reason to rise every night and feel hopeful about the new experiences to come. She may have died there, but they had both gained a second chance when they met each other and he was thanking me for my part in that. I replied to him with a bit of unsettled surprise, understanding, gratefulness for _his_ presence, and his own push that said "You're welcome" and we both grinned before Godric removed the shield. The exchange had literally taken seconds. As vampires, we could experience things at much faster speeds than humans, so Sookie hadn't even finished laughing by the time Godric and I had finished our emotional exchange.

I took a second to think about everything Godric sent me and what I just learned. I couldn't do anything about Godric's past emotions. I couldn't even do anything when we were both in Dallas. It was only because of Sookie that he was here, and part of me wanted to be concerned about how close he had been to meeting the sun, but he wasn't even close to feeling a fraction of what he felt in Dallas. Sookie had completely turned Godric around and there simply wasn't a reason to be concerned anymore. Godric, in return, saved Sookie's life. Sookie had done more than save him though. She had given him a new purpose and saved me from an incredible amount of grief and pain. But she had also done even more than that. She hadn't just saved Godric and given him direction, she had died for him. In reality, Godric and I still owed Sookie a very great debt.

I also realized, with no little amount of trepidation, which I shielded from both Godric and Sookie, that if anything ever happened to Sookie, I wouldn't just lose her, I would lose them both. Godric would leave this plane right after Sookie did and I would lose two of the three most important people in my life.

I paused immediately after I thought that. When did Sookie become one of the most important people in my life? Tonight? While she was gone? I couldn't answer that question, but I could feel with absolute conviction in my blood that Sookie, Godric, and Pam were the three most important in my life. I would be lost if anything happened to any one of them. And if I lost two of them at the same time? If I lost Sookie, and then Godric immediately followed her? I'm honestly not sure I could survive that. At least, not sane. This realization, that Godric went where Sookie went, even if that meant into final death, made it that much more necessary that I do everything in my power to protect Sookie, as well as to make sure she could protect herself.

"So I assume the plan is for you and Godric to move into my area?" I asked, pulling myself from my own ruminations and bringing us back to the most important topic for the night, Sookie's safety.

"Yes," Godric answered for her while Sookie nodded. "We have had contractors working on light-proofing her house in Bon Temps so we could move-in there. I would very much like your help, Eric. Sookie and I could travel instead, but until she masters all of the basics, I would like to stay in one location and have another's assistance in looking out for her as well. You being sheriff will add another level of protection and, as the authority figure in the area, it is likely that the area vampires would report anything unusual they witness to you first before seeking a higher level of authority. Until we know everything she is capable of, there is a chance she may use an ability in public, and we have to be aware of anything that happens before everyone else in order to _take care of_ the situation first."

Settling in my area was the smart thing to do. It was true that, yes, they could travel the world while teaching Sookie, like Godric and I had done, but if anything unusual happened in front of others, they wouldn't have someone they could trust in a position of authority to warn them so they could clean up the mess before someone in power got wind of it. One thing they didn't realize, though, was if they chose to travel (and I'm sure by the time Sookie was in control of her abilities and taught most of what she needed to know, then they would- a few years from now), Pam and I would be picking up and leaving with them. Sookie was not going anywhere without me now that I knew she was alive. Undead. Whatever. It was a very good thing she was responding positively to me because she was now saddled with me forever.

I wasn't about to analyze why I felt that way. As far as I was concerned, it was just a fact.

"I've been training her in self-defense," Godric added. "However, I'm over 2,000 years old while she's barely a month old. I'm much too powerful to train her successfully in fighting, thus many of our sparring sessions have involved her Fae abilities in order to level the playing field between us. She has put me on the flat on my back several times," he admitted while flooding her with pride and I had to admit I was impressed. I had never gotten the upper hand on our maker. "But we need someone closer to her age to spar with her using just her vampire abilities. She must learn to fight without any Fae benefits since those must be kept hidden. I thought, if she is agreeable, Pamela could assist us with this."

Sookie was a firecracker. She had the spirit of a warrior and was a very deliciously intense predator, which Godric obviously realized since his main focus with her training was combat skills, and she would do very well in battle. I could easily picture her as my own personal shieldmaiden or Valkyrie. I was vampire, so blood and fighting were powerful aphrodisiacs to me and speaking about Sookie fighting was more than a turn-on. Picturing her sparring with Godric, let alone besting him, was almost a cruelly painful test of my control, my fangs wanted to descend that _badly_. Discussing Sookie sparring with Pam was even worse (I'm male. Everything I pictured about girl-on-girl fighting was hot) and I couldn't even focus enough to answer Godric until Sookie reached out a finger and zapped me on the chest with light.

My fangs did drop then (Sookie's followed suit and made everything that much worse) and I let out a hiss while moving to stand up so I could take a step towards her. It was only the look of warning on Sookie's face and a palm full of sunlight that kept me from snatching her up and showing her exactly how I _felt_ about the idea of her engaging in sparring sessions.

"I can _hear your thoughts_ now, Eric. And I do NOT spar and would NOT ever be willing to spar in lingerie," she growled.

All I was able to do in response to that was look at her with an expression of yearning and beg her with my eyes while Godric burst into a fit of body-shaking laughter somewhere in the background.

"No," she hissed in answer to my silent pleading. "Push me on it and I won't ever spar with you either."

That was a serious threat and I knew it. It would also be an extremely painful punishment since I very badly wanted to spar with her at some point, especially after having participated in Sookie's erotic version of a hunt earlier. She knew exactly which buttons to press in order to get me to back down, which honestly was a little frightening. Recognizing I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever convincing her of changing her mind anyway (and apparently I wasn't even allowed to _fantasize_ about it) my shoulders slumped in defeat, I glared, and I pushed submission towards her.

Her lips twitched and surprise, satisfaction, and triumph rolled across our tie briefly.

"I honestly never thought I would see the day when Eric Northman offered me submission," she said.

Godric was straining himself to keep from laughing, knowing what was coming due to Sookie's poor choice of words, and I had to seriously force myself not to take off in about two hundred directions with that comment. Her eyes narrowed when she felt the mischief mounting in our blood and I grinned devilishly and simply asked her, "Do you realize how many S and M jokes you just opened yourself up for?"

Her face fell and the feeling of triumph and satisfaction in her veins disappeared entirely. Godric and I both finally cracked because of her facial expression and doubled over laughing. When we caught our breath, I sighed happily. She may have been an extremely sexy day-walking vampiress with fantastical powers, but she was still Sookie Stackhouse. The more it seemed she changed, the more it was obvious she was actually the same.

Since Sookie didn't actually find any of this funny, she waited until we had nearly settled down and guided us back on track, which was funny in itself because we were both ancient vampires and the baby vamp in the room had to get us to focus.

"Well? Do you think Pam will spar with me, Eric?" she impatiently asked.

I nodded, still chuckling to myself, and finally said, "She will. She would jump at the opportunity."

She would do it for three reasons; first, she kind of resented Sookie because I've changed so much since I met her and Pam would love the opportunity to try and teach Sookie a lesson, second, she would find the idea of sparring with Vampire Sookie incredibly sexy, just like I did, and third, she would do it just because I would tell her to do it.

"Master, you realize you will have to pledge fealty to the Queen of Louisiana, yes?" I asked. After sobering up a bit, I realized that to stay in my area, Godric would have to seek out Sophie-Anne. I was not happy about that. Sophie-Anne abused her power as a monarch and was forcing me to sell vampire blood. If I turned her into the Magister, I would be put to death for treason. If the Magister found out I was selling the blood, I would be punished publicly and then executed for tainting the sacredness of the blood. As of right now, I had no choice in the matter. Especially since Sophie-Anne had drawn the Magister's attention to me and he had reason to suspect something was amiss in my area. I did not relish the idea of Sophie-Anne having Godric and Sookie under her thumb too, and there was no doubt in my mind that Sophie-Anne would relish the opportunity to collect a 2,000 year old vampire and add him to her retinue.

When it came to Sookie, it was imperative the Queen never found out she had kept her mind reading ability when she was turned, especially since Compton had let it slip in Dallas after Sookie died that he had been sent to procure her for the Queen. Now that we had dealt with Sookie's mess, I still had to deal with mine.

I had barely finished speaking when Sookie's fangs dropped and she hissed. A little thrill went through me, I loved seeing the predator in her (as long as I wasn't the prey), but I stilled a second later, worried about many things at once in this situation. Did Sookie already know about the Queen and Compton? Did she know about the V? For that matter did Godric know? I still hadn't found out what Godric knew about the Queen and now that I knew Sookie could mask her presence, there was a good chance she had seen, heard, or discovered something telepathically when she had first entered the bar. A little ball of dread tightened in the pit of my stomach and I readied myself for the train that I couldn't stop from barreling down the tracks.

Having felt my emotions and seen Sookie's reaction to Sophie-Anne's title, Godric couldn't decide where to start as he looked back and forth between us before landing on me.

"Eric?" he asked quietly. One word that demanded and expected so much.

Shit.


	9. Chapter 9: Cutting Out The Middleman

_**A/N:**_

 _[1] So I got a little extra creative in this chapter. Bill never helped with the maenad in my story, he was being punished after Dallas, so I had to come up with another reason for Bill to know about the V or I would've had to abandon the season and I like this season. We learn goodies about Eric in it. So, bear with me. Bill fans would kill me for this._

 _Good thing your all **Viking** fans._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own TB, SVM, their characters, or their plots. Alan Ball, HBO, and Charalaine Harris do. Now onwards!_

* * *

"I cannot tell you, master," I said and swallowed thickly. He was not pleased, especially after everything they had confided in me tonight. Sookie just looked at me incredulously and her disbelief radiated out through the blood. I shot her the need for understanding before turning back to Godric to explain why I couldn't explain.

"It would go against my oath if I were to betray the confidences of the Queen," I stated, looking at him meaningfully before glancing pointedly back at Sookie and hoped he understood that Sookie was not bound by fealty. Honor was everything to me. When I made a vow, I could not betray it. Sookie should know this, our agreement about human lives and Lafayette's release were both honor bound. She knew something and if she knew what I half hoped/half dreaded she knew, then Godric might be able to help me. He might even be able to save my life.

Understanding flitted through the bond between us and Godric turned to Sookie. She was still hissing quietly, extremely upset with whatever she knew but still under control. At the moment, our tie was full of disbelief, rage, disgust, and, oddly, gentle possessiveness and fierce protectiveness. She definitely knew something. I just hoped that the rage and disgust was not aimed at me because I had no choice but to follow Sophie-Anne's orders. I didn't mind, however, if the possessiveness and protectiveness were. That would mean she really did consider me hers.

One could hope.

"Child?" Godric asked. "What is it that has you so upset?" He pushed understanding, support, and a request for her to put it into words. He needed to hear whatever it was out loud.

She took a breath to try and calm herself, which didn't really work, and stood up. Godric furrowed his brows in confusion as Sookie walked to the door, unlocked it, and vamped out. He looked back at me for answers and I didn't even have time to shrug my shoulders before she was back with a cooler in her hands.

Did she need blood? We just had a true blood so I didn't understand at first. Then she lifted the lid and I smelled it. Godric and I came to the realization at the same time and our fangs dropped, we flew to our feet, and I growled.

"Where did that come from?" I snapped, suddenly understanding Sookie's earlier reaction. The only vampire in the room when the bar door opened earlier was Sophie-Anne. If Sookie knew where this was, she read it from her. The Queen had it fucking planted. On top of that, she had specifically led the Magister to my door. She wanted me caught with this.

My rage hit the roof and I turned around and punched a hole in the wall. It was either that or let it turn into bloodlust and Sookie would not be happy with that option. I would likely end up her prey again.

She shot me a look of irritation and set it on the desk before shutting the door behind her (which was probably smart since there was a cooler full of vampire blood on _my desk_ and the bar was probably bugged, but the office was soundproof).

"The Queen of Louisiana decided you had pissed her off, Eric," Sookie stated calmly. Her voice was taking on that eerily understated quality again and her emotions were tightening, becoming smaller, in the tie, like she was physically distancing her emotions, and everything else that made her _Sookie,_ from the predator that was emerging. Godric growled, rage igniting in his own blood as he both listened to what she was saying and felt the predator in her emerging. "She decided to punish you for not moving her product fast enough and for sending her telepath into danger."

Godric and I froze, dragging are eyes up from the cooler to Sookie's face. Her emotions had almost completely disappeared now and Sookie looked edgier. She looked like a hunter. She was now quite lazily leaning against the wall and looking at Godric. I didn't know if she was trying to communicate something to him or avoiding my gaze, and that made _me_ edgier. I wanted to shake her, to tell her I had nothing to do with what the Queen thought, but I couldn't even tell if she _felt_ I did because I couldn't _feel_ anything from her at all. Her emotions had bottomed out.

"Her telepath, child?" he asked. His own voice was deceptively calm. He pushed caution at me, having felt my urge and knew I was too impatient to deal with this.

"Yes, master," she said lazily. My lust tripled with the title. I had yet to hear Sookie address Godric formally, but I had fantasies about her calling me master. Thankfully, both Sookie and Godric were too pissed at the moment to even notice. "Her _sheriff_ had sent her _telepath_ into the Fellowship of the Sun to save some _Dallas vampire_. Apparently, her _procurer_ failed to keep her telepath safe, even though he had a tie with her and had given her enough blood to allegedly drug her into compliance. Somehow the telepath ended up in danger anyway and died there."

I felt my rage mounting with every word she spoke. I felt the same from Godric.

I was furious at the Queen. Not only had she betrayed me, she was having that asshole Compton drug Sookie with the blood and was punishing me for Sookie's death by trying to have me executed. _Sookie's death was punishment enough_.

"Compton," I snarled, "let it slip after you died that the Queen had sent him, Sookie. I hadn't had a chance to tell you yet with everything else tonight."

"That's okay, Eric. I know you weren't intentionally keeping it from me. Master and I had already figured out Bill's role, we just didn't know who he worked for," she stated coolly, still not breaking eye contact with Godric. "We also didn't know drugging me with the blood was something that his superior was in on."

Well then, that explained a few things I hadn't understood tonight. One being why Sookie hadn't brought up Compton once, another being why she seemed to have forgotten she had cared for him at all when, the last time I saw her, she had been desperately in love with him, and, finally, why she seemed completely fine with establishing a claim of her own. It was all explained now. _She cared nothing for him_.

If she was being drugged into compliance, it seemed Compton had taken it a step further and made her into his own Dracula's bride. Sookie was stubborn though and she fought it. That's why she was in Dallas to begin with, because she had fought his influence to save Lafayette. It's also why she was in the Fellowship of the Sun, because she had fought it to save Godric for me. She would do anything, fight against any influence, for those she loved. And that refusal to submit was also exactly why Compton had tried to drown her in his blood after the Maenad attack and I had to warn him against overcooking her. When she was turned, most of the blood was drained from her and the rest no longer had control over her immortal blood. They must have both realized then what Compton had done.

These thoughts rapidly flew through mind within seconds as I watched them. Godric's jaw tensed and his fist curled in on itself while he and Sookie watched each other, both studying the other for one silent, tense moment before Godric nodded. That seemed the cue Sookie was waiting for because she quickly went on to add more shit to our stew.

"The Magister is going to receive a tip, master, within the next two days, possibly as early as late tomorrow night, that Eric's sellin' V and violatin' the sanctity of the blood. She knows Eric can't say anythin' to the Magister about who is responsible for providin' it and, as Eric helpfully pointed out to her tonight, the only witness who knows about her orders has gone missing. She instructed Eric to 'Let him rot,'" she helpfully summarized for Godric, using finger quotes and everything. It was good she was explaining this though because I was bound and couldn't myself. My blood would rebel at such a violation of my honor and my personal code of honor was fundamental to who I was. She then stretched herself like a cat before stepping closer to him and dropped her voice an octave so it was icier than Sweden in the winter time, "Master, the witness is also the procurer, Compton. And the procurer," she paused and then purred out, " _provides the queen with his own blood to sell."_

I may not have been able to feel her emotions since they had bottomed out when the predator in her took over, but the way she spoke explained a lot to me. She refused to call Compton "Bill" anymore and was reluctant to even call him by his last name. She referred to him as _the procurer_ instead, completely dehumanizing him. In her mind, Compton no longer had anything humane about him, which told me how she felt about him to an extent. She felt he was beneath her, beneath humans even, and was little more than an animal. She was disgusted with him, felt used by him, and felt betrayed by him. He had manipulated her and used her like a blood slave, which meant she probably also felt raped by him. The fact that he had taken her virginity from her when she felt nothing emotionally for him, at least nothing that he had not put in her blood himself, had white, hot fury running through me. The man in me took a giant step back and the vampire in me slid into the driver's seat.

As she spoke, she had been slowly stepping into the space between Godric and me, bringing his face back into my line of sight. He looked up from her face and met my eyes, then raised an eyebrow at me. I slowly nodded in reply, and then both our gazes fell back to Sookie.

"And what would you recommend we do with that information, Sookie?" Godric asked her.

Vampire Sookie was in control. She was on top of her game. She knew what the Queen had been thinking, what she had been planning, and the way her mind worked. Sookie had obviously dug into Sophie-Anne's mind, mined for gold, and somehow come up with several precious stones instead, thus revealing Sophie-Anne's plan to throw me to the Magister, how Bill Compton had known about my orders in the first place, and where she had planted the evidence for the Magister to catch me with. Vampire Sookie's instincts had just proven to be incredible, so both Godric and I were interested in what she would do to take care of this problem. Neither Godric nor I had absolutely any ideas (I could tell this from his blood), and we both currently felt cornered and trapped like animals. We could come up with something once we calmed down and settled our emotions, but Vampire Sookie seemed to operate a little differently than we did.

When we became all predator, we've usually snapped from the intensity of our emotions or the exposure to a combination of blood, sex, or both. We became pure instinct and emotion when we hit that level. Sookie, on the other hand, completely disassociates herself from her emotions when she becomes her predator, which makes her hyper-rational _and_ instinctive instead of _just_ instinctive. Emotions may have led to her predatory state, but she then cuts herself off entirely and becomes completely rational and intuitive, which also makes her so much more dangerous than a normal vampire in predator mode. When a predator attacks, you usually do not want it to stop and analyze your weaknesses and plan its moves before it comes at you.

In all honesty, most vampires couldn't do that, they attacked just based on their instincts, like a shark or a snake, which is why so few of us truly make it to the status of ancient. They hit their limit, get too pissed off, and strike. Sookie is truly more like a lion in her predatory state, she sits herself down and watches the herd, anticipating the weakest link, the necessary speed she should move at to catch her prey, the patterns of the other animals around her, and then, after having stalked her prey for all this information, she begins her culling. Other vampires usually only become that way with age and experience, usually they are ancients before they can think rationally like Sookie can in that state. Even then, we who are ancient still have to force ourselves to focus, which is why we train so hard to control our emotions. Sookie was just turned and she already fit smoothly into our pride. By the time she becomes ancient, she'll probably be frightening as hell.

"Me?" she asked, so surprised to be asked at such an important time, with so much on the line, that she involuntarily took a step backward, within arm's reach of me. I slowly stepped up behind her, my own predator very much in control at the moment and me perfectly content to let it be, and gently wrapped a hand around her upper arm while I swept her hair back from the opposite shoulder before dragging my fangs across the exposed skin of her neck and collar while I scented her. She purred. I slowly slid my hand down her arm, stroking and caressing my way down until it tangled with her own, which I delicately traced until I hit the pads of her slender fingers. I then lowered it to her hip and let my hand rest there while gently nudging her shirt up just a bit to stroke her smooth, slightly more heated skin with my fingertips. As I did this, I slid my lips up from her neck to her ear and tenderly took her earlobe between my teeth and sucked for a couple seconds, thrilled when she gasped, before I pulled back to brush my lips over her ear and whisper slowly, "Yes, Sookie, you. What would _you_ do?"

I briefly paused to look at Godric, refusing to lift my lips from her ear or my fingers from her skin as I did so, to see he appeared to be intently studying the features of her face. His vampire had risen to the fore as well and seemed to be completely enthralled with the gorgeous face of his progeny while she thought. I returned my lips back to her earlobe, nibbled a little this time, before lazily bringing my mouth back to the exposed skin I had scented earlier and alternated between sucking and kissing different patches while Sookie spoke.

"In this case, Eric is the middle man. I would do what every greedy business owner does and cut him out of the equation," she said smoothly. "Drop the blood off at the procurer's and beat the Queen to the punch with the anonymous tip. Glamour someone to report that he's sellin' vampire blood out of his home, have Eric call the Magister and report that Compton was supposed to check in tonight but hasn't and he felt the Magister should know since the Magister was lookin' for missin' vampires in this area. The Magister will find the blood and assume he's running. He'll place a warrant out for him. When the Magister catches him, the procurer will likely roll over on the Queen in exchange for a quicker end. If he never catches him, the Queen lucks out and will owe Eric a favor for findin' the 'despicable' vampire responsible for desecrating the blood. When she asks, 'Why Compton?' Eric will point out she instructed him to 'Let him rot.' So why not throw the attention his way instead to get the scent off the two of them? It's not like Eric could know the procurer was her partner."

"And what happens when the procurer brings up Eric's involvement?" Godric asked, fascinated with the way her mind worked.

"The Magister won't believe him. Why would he when there will be evidence the procurer was usin' his own blood as product? And with the evidence he was sellin' blood out of his home, the very reason why Eric never saw an uptick of V being sold in his club, it wouldn't make sense for Eric to be involved at all. The procurer and the Queen were the suppliers and the procurer was also the dealer, where does Eric fit in? Besides, why would a sheriff call in a suspect he knew would turn on him and his Queen if the sheriff was also guilty? Then, when the Queen calls in the tip to look at Eric, it will look like she's tryin' to shift the focus from herself and her partner- she knew she was about to get caught because her partner was about to get caught and that leads back to her, by either the Magister or Eric himself. According to the memory I saw, the Magister did task Eric with findin' out who was responsible, so if she turns over on Eric, it will seem like a last act of desperation because she was afraid he was on to her.'

"That _is_ what's really happenin' here anyway. She's afraid the Magister is on to her and she is about to get caught, her partner is in the wind and therefore she can't point any blame in his direction, so Eric is her back-up plan, a last act of desperation to throw the Magister off her scent. Because, who really needs a middle man anyway?" she reasoned. I smiled against her skin and kissed her neck tenderly as I slid my arms around her waist and lifted my head up to look at Godric. He was smiling too.

"You always were good at thinking outside the box, Sookie," I purred. She shivered, which made me smile even wider.

Godric placed a hand on each side of her face said, "You have done very well, child. The way you think is fascinating. You found a way to get two threats out of the way without our direct involvement, implicating Eric, or getting blood on our hands. The procurer will either be on the run for the rest of his life and the Queen will owe Eric a favor, or they both will be executed for a crime for which they are actually guilty of committing. Because if he is caught, knowing the Magister as I do, the procurer _will_ turn over our other enemy to save himself torture. Either way we benefit, the Queen loses this round, and the procurer will at the very least never be in a position of power again. Every monarchy will shun a defiler of the blood. I've said this before and I will say it again, many times I'm sure: you, Sookie Stackhouse, are utterly unique." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead while sending her the biggest amount of pride I had felt from him yet, before pulling back and meeting my eyes. "You know what to do, Eric. I will meet you out in the bar."

I nodded as I sent Sookie my own pride, affection, and how utterly impressed I was. I also wanted to send her my lust, badly, because watching her plot was such a huge fucking turn-on, but I knew that wouldn't be intelligent when we were both in predator mode. We would follow our instincts and end up naked in about three seconds flat if I did because I would absolutely send her, and myself, into bloodlust. It was difficult, but I was maintaining _some_ control. Not a lot, but enough to keep us from having sex until we were clear-minded enough for her to decide if she wanted to be with me because we actually wanted each other or if she would've just been following her nature. It didn't mean the predator in me couldn't have some fun though.

I looked back down at Sookie, buried my head in the curls of her hair, nuzzling her, and slowly ran my hands up the front of her body, completely enthralled with the sighs, whimpers, and gasps she made as my hands passed over certain… strategic places before I reached her face. I sank my left hand in her curls and tugged on her hair until she was looking me in the eyes while I used my right hand to stroke her cheek.

"And here I thought I was the strategist," I purred.

She mock-pouted and tsked me, batted her eyelashes, and said, "Aw, Eric. We can always strategize _together._ "

Damn right we could. I could watch Sookie scheme any time and, if she wasn't careful, I may find myself inventing reasons to involve her in area politics solely so I could watch her in action all over again.

My eyes had been trained on her mouth as she spoke, staring at her lips with rapt attention. I nodded slowly in agreement, still watching her mouth, then leaned down and covered it with mine. I might not have been able to claim her body yet, but I did claim her mouth, tucking her bottom lip between my teeth and gently biting down and dragging my fangs across it then soothing the hurt away with my tongue before sliding it into the silky cavern of her mouth and massaging her tongue with my own. I spent a moment learning all the different ways she could move her tongue, before pulling back to nip at her chin and release my hold on her hair. I brought my eyes back up to meet Sookie's very lust-filled gaze, dropped my hands, took a step back, and said, "Apparently I have to make a few phone calls and have Pam arrange for a drop-off and order one glamoured tipster."

"Maybe Lafayette?" she suggested with her finger on her chin in the perfect pose of contemplation.

My mouth dropped open in astonishment. It only took a second for me to remember Sookie could use filters and dig through memories now, so she had obviously filtered through my mind for anything related to the Queen's V deal and came across Lafayette and the fact he technically owed me for healing him. She also probably came across the fact I had bought him a gorgeous new car because of the guilt I felt for forcing him to do what I had punished him for, which I was planning on giving to him under the pretense of being an incentive, so maybe (I crossed my fingers) she would eventually forgive me for this. I also wasn't sure if she was serious or not about using her friend and I couldn't tell if she was angry at the moment or had already moved passed it because the only emotion no longer locked down in the tie was lust.

"I'm serious," she said. "Have him glamoured into thinkin' Compton is the one forcing him to sell the blood and he refuses to do it, so he phoned in the tip. Compton didn't glamour him because he figured blackmail would do just as well, but Lafayette has sworn off V for the rest of his life because of a certain sheriff and he figured, by turnin' in a vampire V dealer, he could clear his debt with the sheriff and then _they would be_ _square_. In fact, he might even deserve a _reward,_ after the Magister leaves, of course _._ He should have most of his stock left, and that stock will contain Compton's blood. Probably more so than this cooler if the Queen was being smart about what blood she used tonight. Oh… and someone should definitely search Compton's house when they plant the blood in case he unearthed anything about my ancestry when he was stalkin' me so the Magister doesn't come across it."

She finished her incredibly insightful and intelligent suggestions and not so thinly veiled order to back off of her friend with a flourish by giving me another pretense to give away the car and shooting me an innocent smile. Bossy Sookie was such a turn-on. She really needed to tone it down if she wanted to walk out of this office in possession of all her underthings.

"I like the way you think, Sookie Stackhouse. After the _bravery_ of your friend for turning in a blackmailer and a defiler of the blood, I hereby clear him of any further obligations and pardon him of his crime. I will also consider a _reward_ suitable for a human loyal to the vampires of this area. I will also make sure there is no evidence of Fairy Sookie at Compton's. Sound good?" I asked. She was still in predator mode after all.

She then stunned me with a tender kiss to the cheek, a sensual whisper of thanks in my ear, and a wicked grin before she walked towards the door, shut it behind her, and vamped out after Godric.

As I watched her walk away, I knew without a doubt I had once again failed to be the predator in that scenario. Sookie sat back, studied my pattern, perfected her timing, separated me from the herd, and preyed on me.

Gods she was beautiful.

I pulled my burner phone out of my pocket and pressed one. As soon as I heard the call connect, I spoke, "Things are changing, Pam. This is what I need you to do…"

* * *

 **A/N:** See, it just never made sense to me that Eric would buy Lafayette a car after scaring the shit out of him. I like the idea that it's actually a guilt gift. Eric's not normally a drug dealer, why would he need to give Lafayette an incentive? Godric told him the blood was sacred and he learned it the hard way in the show. I like my way better.


	10. Chapter 10: Nothing but Static

_**Disclaimer** : I do not own any of this. All the characters and plots of True Blood and SVM are owned by HBO Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris. They own it all. I just take all their crayons and draw a new picture._

* * *

 **SPOV**

I vamped out of the office with a grin on my face. Eric had thought he was being so slick, but I thought it was actually extremely obvious that he was trying to assert dominance over me. From the way he stroked me (though it had felt sinfully delicious) to the way he grabbed my hair and claimed my mouth, he was trying to make me submit. He was very predatory in that moment, but so was I. Honestly, he could try to dominate me and prey on me as often as he wanted, I would just turn around and do something else to settle the score, and I would always have better timing. It was just how the predator in me worked for some reason, like the way in which I brought up Lafayette. I had basically just given Eric orders for the night, and yet he truly felt appreciation for them. If that wasn't the work of a dominant predator, I really didn't know what was.

I have never, ever submitted to him though, even when I was human, so it was a little strange that his vampire nature was suddenly so intent on it. This wasn't the first time today that he tried. Each time he kissed me, he dominated the kiss. He controlled every aspect of it. He teased me to a point and when he felt like he'd asserted himself, he pulled back. And then I did something to challenge that new dominance and he tried all over again. Each time he did it though, I also did something immediately afterwards that evened the score. I wasn't really sure the predator in me would allow him to actually dominate me. It unsettled me until I felt we had gained equal footing back, even when it came to the blood. I had felt greatly unsettled until he ingested my tear and the connection evened out. In fact, the only time today when he came close to getting me to submit was when he was lost to bloodlust and that was only because I was quickly becoming lost to bloodlust too. If I had lost myself though, if my own higher functions had suddenly flipped off completely and I operated on nothing but instinct, something tells me he wouldn't have had control over the kiss for long.

After the bloodlust incident, I had a really emotional moment. It had more to do with residual problems of my human self-esteem and how everyone viewed me as "Crazy Sookie" then it did with how Eric reacted to my scent. Even that situation had resulted in me evening the score though, by claiming him. It wasn't intentional, at first, but his blood did agree. His blood submitted to my claim, which also means the core of who he was as a vampire submitted to the claim, which actually put me on more than equal footing. Was he trying to overcompensate for that submission by the way he tried to dominate me just now? Or maybe he just enjoyed seeing my reactions to his attempts? Honestly, he actually seemed to like it when I turned the tables on him. It sent a little thrill through him. At this point, I couldn't be definitive on anything. I would have to see if he continued following this pattern to really draw any conclusions from it. If he did, though, continue to follow this pattern, would I even be able to do anything about it in the long run? Did I want to? Sometimes that aggressiveness was sexy.

I mentally shook myself of my speculations as I got closer to Godric. It had only taken about two seconds to think through all of these things and possible scenarios, but I really needed to focus at the moment. Lust was the only emotion still radiating from me through the bond and I needed to ask Godric whether there was an easier technique or process that could help me come back to myself more quickly. I knew I _should_ be concerned about my lack of emotional response and somehow "trying to relax" wasn't quite doing it for me. Godric had to send me vast quantities of love, the most intense emotion we possessed, to wake me up from this state last time, but Godric wouldn't always be around to do that for me so I needed to develop some kind of process that allowed me to wake myself up. I thought it probable that he either had a technique I could use or he could tell me how he put himself back to rights after he lost emotional control and I could try to reverse the process or adjust it to suit my own needs.

My maker was sitting at one of the tables along the side of the bar with two glasses of donor blood on the table before him. Obviously, emotions had just run very, very high and we all could use a snack to settle our inner predators as we recovered from the tension of the night. He still looked a little edgy himself, but his fangs had retracted and he had a beautiful smile on his face. I could still feel his pride in me radiating off of him as I approached.

I pulled out the chair next to him and sat down before picking up a glass and drinking deeply. Human blood was so delicious. True blood would've satisfied my hunger but wouldn't have helped me manage my inner predator, so he had foregone it in favor of the real deal. He had prepared me an O negative, which was actually one of my least favorite types (a fact he knew and selected on purpose because, though I needed a glass of human blood, I did not need to become more predatory), but it still tasted better than a warm glass of cocoa and Bailey's Irish Cream. The scent was particularly delightful for some reason and I found myself sniffing it like a bloodhound, pun intended. After I finished it, and licked my lips clean with a small moan, I did indeed feel a little bit more settled and was able to focus enough to bring my lust back down to a lesser level that allowed me to retract my fangs.

"Master," I said with a nod. He was immediately on alert with the use of his title. While Eric seemed to use it whenever he addressed Godric with something serious, only using his first name in more relaxed and comfortable conversation, I used it for very specific reasons. According to the rules of vampire etiquette, I must use it whenever we were at social functions or around other older vampires not of our bloodline because it was a term of respect and status, it was also a title Godric had earned and I never used it insultingly or with sarcasm because Godric was an incredible maker and therefore deserved that respect. When we were in a more relaxed setting or when it was just the two of us, I used it primarily when I was addressing him in the role of my teacher (indicating I needed him to mentor me), when I wished to show obedience, and when the predator within me emerged.

The more intuitive part of me recognized Godric as the ultimate authority and as my creator, in this way I displayed my submission to him and my recognition that he was a better vampire than me in all ways; age, strength, intelligence, speed… _in all ways_. I was absolutely more aggressive when my vampiric nature took over, but I was still submissive to my maker, and I always would be simply for two facts; that he would always be more than 2,000 years older than me and he made me. So I was indeed the submissive one of our pair when Vampire Sookie came out to play and I literally didn't have to think about having to use that term. Vampire Sookie used it instinctively when she surfaced just like she did in Eric's office.

So Godric was immediately aware I either wanted him to show and teach me something or my predatory self was still in the driver's seat, which is something he needed to be aware of regardless. In this case, I used his title for both reasons.

"Child?" he asked me, voice laced with concern. By now he noticed that, though my fangs had retracted, I was still very much the predator. He was prodding the bond gently, analyzing my state and his concern seemed to grow when none of the prodding produced even the slightest emotional reaction.

"Master, I need to know somethin'. As you can tell, my emotions are still bottomed out. I know I should be concerned about this, rationally, but I find I'm strugglin' to come back to myself. I realize most vampires usually experience the opposite of what I'm currently experiencing, but I was wonderin' if you can help me find a better way to come back to myself and embrace my emotions faster. Tryin' to relax doesn't seem work and you won't always be around me to send me love like you did earlier tonight to snap me back. At the very least, I thought you might be able to tell me how the normal vampire regains his control and I could reverse or adjust the process," I confessed and pleaded. I didn't like going so long without feeling. Emotions were the core of who I was, I was my emotions. That was why they were so pure and so intense.

He reached out for my hand, which I immediately gave him, and studied my face contemplatively. Finally, he gave my hand a gentle squeeze and said, "Typically when the average vampire is striving for control, they focus on an emotion and tune out all others. For example, if they are experiencing too much rage, they search inside themselves for calm and focus on it until it is the primary emotion that they feel, they then intensify it until every other emotion fades into the background, similar to how we tune out noise outside the area we wish to listen to with our extra sensitive hearing. When they're overly stressed, they search for relaxation, when they're overly sad, they search for a small piece of happiness, when they feel torn apart, they focus on feeling whole. They find a smidgeon of that emotion and intensify it until it is their only focus. Once they have done that, they focus on lowering that emotion and striving for the state you are in.'

"It is a constant battle to block the emotions and the emotions never disappear entirely. You, somehow, do separate yourself entirely, so I do not believe you can use this technique and simply adjust it. When what you so fondly call _Vampire Sookie_ emerges, I can feel your emotions physically tightening, like you are making them more and more compact, until I feel the sensation of you pulling away, of everything that makes you who you are, pulling away and you feel to me as if you are physically distancing yourself from the predator that emerges-"

At this point Eric walked out of his office with the cooler in his hand and headed towards the front of the club.

"I'll be back. Pam's approaching and I want to hand this off to her with instructions," he said carefully, realizing he hadn't swept the club yet and making me aware of that fact as well. He suddenly flooded us with alarm since we had been in the middle of a serious discussion without thinking about it, but Godric reached out and shot us with security, reassurance, and privacy, effectively washing away Eric's concern.

"I borrowed Sookie's gadget when I first came out here and swept the club. There were twelve different bugs, but no video cameras. They're now drowning in a glass of water on the bar," Godric said with a small smile.

Irritation flared in Eric's blood and he cursed something in Swedish. Godric flooded him with enough mirth to have Eric's lips twitching until he noticed nothing but static was coming from me.

He sent me concern and asked, "Are you okay?"

"She's fine, Eric. We're experimenting with her emotional control. Go meet Pam or you will have to explain our presences before you're ready and what you're doing should most definitely take priority."

We could both feel Eric's blood disagree with Godric. Almost like it had grumbled, "Sookie takes priority," which had Godric's mirth erupting in our veins all over again before he gave Eric a very strong emotional push and said, "Go, Eric. Now."

Eric studied my face for another second, finally vamping out of the bar after I nodded.

"As I was saying, dearest, the tightening of your emotions was why I told you to relax. I thought if you loosened them back up, your beautiful emotions would return. Now, after what we just discussed, I think maybe you need to physically bring them back and then try to loosen them or open them up like you do with the bond. Are you willing to try something for me?" I nodded. I was willing to try anything at this point. After all, nobody thought it would be a good thing for a sociopathic vampire to be walking around Shreveport. "I want you to pick a beautiful memory from tonight. When a vampire remembers something, it is so clear and detailed that we feel like we are physically inside the memory and we feel the emotions we experienced as if we were experiencing them for the first time, so I would like you to select something positive but emotional from today, something that does not involve lust or the urge to hunt, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in it. I think remembering something positive and powerful will loosen the tight hold your blood has on your emotions. Will you do that for me now?" I nodded and closed my eyes.

With vampire speed, I did an inventory of everything I had experienced since I rose for the night. The most powerful moment I had was with Godric when we sent each other streams of love, but the most beautiful moment happened with Eric, just after I had taken his blood.

 _Suddenly, I was back in the office, sitting in Eric's lap with my legs around his waist and his palm over my heart while he stared at the area in question with sheer awe. I swore I could feel my skin tingling where his skin touched mine and if my heart could still beat, I was positive it would be racing. His strong, masculine scent filled my nose and it brought with it the feelings of security and strength._

 _He smelled like the ocean in winter. Underneath that scent was the smell of his blood, which was freshly tilled earth and cold water, a combination of him and Godric since Godric turned him, but Eric also had this other scent sitting on top of it. I felt like I could reach out and touch it, though I logically knew it shouldn't be there. I_ should _only be able smell the scent of his blood but he really did smell like he had stepped off a boat on the North Sea and I imagined if I were to lean over and lick his skin, I would taste salty seawater and snowflakes._

 _I looked up at him with wonder he couldn't see because he was still fixated on the location of his hand. He really was handsome, I could fall into his eyes and drown if I let myself, and the depth of emotions I had felt from him today had left me speechless. He really panicked earlier. Eric was freaked out over the thought of me leaving and the idea I wouldn't forgive him, but he was even more afraid that he had hurt me. The very idea of hurting me had flooded him with remorse and shame. I had never realized he felt so strongly before I felt his presence in my blood, but he did. He felt. And there was love in him. I could feel it in his blood, he loved Godric and Pam. Part of me wished I could feel love for me there too._

 _Then there were his thoughts._

 _I couldn't understand most of what he was thinking, yet I could understand the majority of what he had been thinking today had been centered on me. Sookie was Sookie in any language. He would ramble on and then get a very vivid fantasy of me that would have Human Sookie blushing to high heavens and avoiding him like the plague or suddenly drop into a very rare use of English and just think, "Gods, she's beautiful," which had evolved into some sort of mantra since he'd thought it so many times over the course of the night. Luckily, after his little fantasy of seeing me rise vampire (in which he buried me naked) and he had caught my emotional blush, I had been able to capture most of the following ones in protective blood shields and kept an impeccable poker-face that could be nominated for an Oscar, I was that amazing an actress. Otherwise, I would definitely not have been able to look him in the eye ever again._

 _I focused back on what Eric was currently feeling. As always, there was ever-present lust and possessiveness, but at the moment there was also astonishment, tenderness, warmth, completeness, and a whole lot of hope._

 _I looked back down at his palm before looking back up at him with confusion. When he remained speechless, I dug into the tie and snapped my mental fingers in his face to get his attention._

 _Godric slipped out at that moment to get some True Bloods, for which I was a little relieved because the space helped me distance my emotions a little and made it easier to throw up a cursory shield, and with the looks I was getting from Eric and the incredible emotions he was experiencing, I was a little concerned I might feel something I didn't want either of them to feel. Not when I could sense in Eric's blood that he only loved two people._

 _Godric and Pam._

 _So I silently prayed to myself he wouldn't do anything else today that would increase my affection to the point where I was inadvertently caused pain because I had to shield something powerful from him._

 _Because at the moment I didn't love him, but it was something close._

 _"_ _Eric, what is it?" I asked. I was getting a little uncomfortable with his hand resting on my chest like that, no matter how much I enjoyed the skin to skin contact with him. I may be vampire, but I was also a lady._

 _"_ _My blood, every cell you just drank buzzed around excitedly in your veins and then migrated to the warmest part of your body," he explained, bringing my hand up and placing it palm down against my chest beneath his, so I could feel my own increased temperature, over my heart. "I believe that this is where your essential spark is. It's the warmest part of you and the most beautiful, your heart. Apparently my blood wants to be as close as it can get to it."_

 _Damn it._

 _My heart clenched and I threw up a powerful shield around that sole emotion. Why'd he have to go and say something so touching like that, like it was a simple fact of life? Like it was normal for his blood to want to saddle up next to my heart? Why'd he have to say that my heart was the most beautiful part of me when he's only ever talked about my body and scent in the few months that I've known him?_

 _Why'd he gotta be so, so_ Eric _?! Confusing me all the time._

 _He reached a finger to my face, scooped up a blood tear I hadn't realized had fallen and popped it in his mouth like vampire blood sharing was the most natural thing to do with me in the world. The tie shimmered and stretched. He just equalized the sides of the tie for me. I smiled and felt relief it was equal again. He moaned sexily, savoring the taste of my blood and then he smiled._

 _My heart clenched again._

 _Shit._

I opened my eyes and found myself back in the bar with Godric who had an absolute look of wonder on his face. Looks like that were getting way too familiar for my liking.

I quickly searched my blood at my fasted speed, realized all my emotions had opened back up again, including love, which I immediately threw a shield around. Luckily, because vampires think so fast mentally and go through memories with the same speed, it should only have looked like it briefly flickered. Eric was outside somewhere. I knew Godric felt it, but it was very, very likely Eric was too distracted to notice.

Or so I prayed.

I would not give him that emotion without getting it back in return. I knew that sounded selfish, but then that's what I would be. For months, my daily life was flooded with that emotion, an emotion that completed disappeared when I rose vampire because some sick, manipulative bastard got his rocks off on making me feel like I loved him and pretended he felt it in return. This time it was genuine and I could literally feel that the man I felt it for did not return it. I wasn't sure which situation was worse. It was the most powerful type of love and the most powerful emotion I had ever personally felt, and I refused to let someone experience it again without it being reciprocated. Right now, it would definitely not be returned.

Not according to his blood at least.

"I think it worked. Thank you, Godric," I said quietly, immediately letting him know by saying his name that Vampire Sookie had been tied up, gagged, and shoved in the trunk. Then I sent him gratitude and relief. It was so nice to be _all_ of me again.

"Sookie," he said and paused, hesitancy flooded the bond from him. He sifted and waded through my emotions, which were so scattered I didn't even know what I was feeling at the moment, before he flooded me with understanding, drowning me in it. His voice then got even quieter, like he was just barely breathing out the words, when he whispered, "That was a very powerful emotion you felt. It pulsated, engulfing the bond twice. What were you remembering?"

My mouth had dropped open at the news about it flooding the bond, but when he asked about the memory, my mouth snapped shut and a large wave of refusal swept down our connection before I had even consciously decided not to tell him. I really should though. Godric was my maker and wanted to take care of me. He already knew what is was, that I had experienced it, and that I was having a difficult time deciding what to do with my emotion since he could literally feel everything else. I was only keeping one emotion shielded, put I felt the possessiveness of a vampire over both it and the correlating memory. Godric had stepped out of the room earlier tonight, so what happened was truly between me and Eric and for some reason, I really wanted to keep it that way.

But I really should open up to him.

"I could command you, child," he warned me. I had been wavering in my conviction to keep it to myself, but Godric had just chosen for me by trying to threaten it out of me. My Stackhouse stubbornness immediately kicked in and Godric's eyes narrowed when he felt my resolution flair to life. I then sent him what he had just made me feel, I sent him such a slow-moving wave of sadness and immense disappointment that it lingered over him longer in punishment, and the intensity of it and _what_ I had sent made his eyes widen in complete confusion.

"You vowed to me the night I rose you would only command me if someone were in danger. Whatever emotion flickered in the bond will harm no one," I said, my tone slipping into Vampire Sookie's calm, lazy drawl. "You have never threatened me with somethin' like that before." I just got my emotions back and a threat like that had my fangs ready to drop. I sent him a very possessive push that said this emotion was _mine_ and sent him another, stronger one that said _I protect what's mine._

The second he heard my tone he loosened the grip on our bond a little. He had been scouring it for the emotion he felt. His curiosity was consuming him. He would never find it. I didn't hide it in the bond. I hid it behind a mental shield, and my shields were made of silver, so his blood could not drag it out of hiding if he tried to pull it out aggressively. I would keep him from ever experiencing it again if he continued on this course with me and my blood hummed in agreement, it seemed to have confidence I could. That was intriguing, which was the second emotion I blocked from Godric. Feeling my intrigue would lead him to think I was challenging him to try the maker's command.

Using a mental shield was how I ripped the connection away from Eric at the beginning of the night but kept the bond open with Godric. I could close the bond and tie through the blood though. I had that much control. And if Godric and I didn't come to an understanding really quick, he would feel our bond closing tonight too. He didn't like it the first time I did it in Texas and he would hate it even more now because his blood told me he was literally addicted to my emotions. It would cause him pain instead of just shock if I closed it this time. He knew I was powerful enough to do it too. I was stronger in the blood than he was. In fact, I was starting to wonder if it was one of my vampire gifts.

I thought this while I was still speaking and sending my pushes out and I think my blood somehow sensed my intention if he didn't take a step back because foreboding and warning swelled in the bond of its own accord. I certainly didn't warn him.

Another of my mental thought processes peeled off in a different direction while this was happening. It was solely concerned with Eric, especially since now that my emotions had woken up I could _feel_ the love I had for him again.

I could feel him outside somewhere, standing motionless. I narrowed my focus on what I could feel of his emotions. Static. Just white noise. It felt exactly as it had when his blood had declared him mine. I could feel _nothing but static._ And since I could feel Nora's presence and a shadow of her startled emotions in Godric's blood when I focused on her and she was a great deal further away than he was, that left just one possibility.

Shit.

He felt what Godric had described. He felt my love engulf the bond. Twice.

It must've leaked into my ties with my siblings too.

Double-shit.

I immediately realized Eric had been keeping a closer eye on my emotions than I assumed. In fact, he currently had a white-knuckled grip on our connection to try and receive as much as he could from me. He had been concerned on his way out the door because, at that time, I had been the one whose emotions were nothing but static, so he had kept his mental eyes open and had experienced everything I felt as I came back online. Now, whatever he had felt from me had blown his own emotional state apart and he wasn't sure how to feel about my most intense emotion. Then, just as quickly, I took it away from him. He hadn't had any time to adjust.

I built a tunnel along a strand of our connection using my mental shields, because this was between me and Eric and not meant for Godric even if he was my maker, and reached through the tunnel towards Eric to softly soothe him. He startled internally, having not been able to feel it coming, before reaching in with a very firm grip and connecting us. I sent him a wave of gentle assurance, tender apology for screwing with his emotional state, and a soft caress across his rankled nerves, smoothing out his emotional shocks. It wasn't an explanation because I wasn't going to give him one. I was not about to explain I blew apart his emotional state with love from a memory of him earlier tonight. Not gonna happen.

He accepted everything greedily, almost like he craved more. When I started to pull back, it was my turn to startle internally (but luckily I did that from inside the tunnel) when Eric resisted, tightening his hold on me. Then he hesitated and indecision surfaced. I sent him a gentle push that whispered, "It's okay. You can let go. It's okay," into his blood and he sent me a rush of almost frenzied affection before slowly and reluctantly loosening his hold until I slipped away, the shields collapsing behind me and fully opening up the connection again as I went.

While I did that, I was also completely focused on my maker.

Godric paused to furiously analyze of all of my reactions. I had shut down on him, I had become more predatory at his threat, I had reminded him of a vow he made, I had pushed him two messages, and the bond had cried out in warning.

He pulled back even more and wariness and cautiousness seeped into the connection.

Good boy, Godric.

He decided to address the command first. He literally grimaced, bowed his head, and sent me shame and remorse while he apologized, "I am sorry, Sookie. You are right. I did make that vow to you when you rose and I meant it. I will not command you in this. You are also correct in saying that the emotion you felt would not harm anyone. If anything, I think it would benefit us all. In over 2,000 years, I have never experienced an emotion as powerful as the one you just experienced and it worries me that you would attempt to suppress something so beautiful. I wanted to know what it was you experienced today that had such a powerful effect on you and I regret reacting the way I did. I do not want to lose my bond with you, even for a brief amount of time, and with everything that has happened since you rose, it could honestly be dangerous for you not to have an open connection with me. Eric would also worry if you shut down the bond because he would not be able to feel you either."

Well then maybe Eric and I needed to establish our own after all.

His lips quirked up and he felt amusement. Apparently my blood had cried out my response without me saying a word. He kept quiet about it though and moved onto the next issue.

"You sent me two pushes. One of which claimed the emotion as yours, the other very forcefully said that you will protect what is yours. You feel you have to protect this emotion from me?" he asked quietly.

I paused for a moment, delving into my own reaction. I gathered my scattered thoughts, swallowed thickly, and said just as quietly, "I feel extremely possessive and protective over this emotion, Godric. I feel as if I have to protect it from everythin' and everyone. I don't wanna let anyone else feel it. I don't want anyone else to benefit from it. It is brand new. It awakened in my blood tonight and I haven't had a chance to experience it for myself. You are right. It is both powerful and beautiful, but it is _mine_ and I do not trust anyone with it right now. I just want to nurture it and protect it. I have only ever experienced this feelin' once before, a much smaller version of it, and that was while I was still human. It was beautiful to feel then too. Then I died and I rose vampire without it and realized… it.. it _was never mine... and the emotion was never.. never real._ " My voice broke when I said this and went from fierce and predatory to quivering by the end. Blood tears started dripping down my cheeks and I quickly threw up a shield when my voice began to lose control in order to block my sorrow and grief from Eric. It would just confuse him and I didn't want him to see me mourn for a love I never had. I would not let him experience this with me. He was also mine and I wanted to both nurture and protect him too.

Godric moved faster than I have ever seen him move. He swept me up into a hug and cradled me while I cried, experiencing true grief for the very first time since my turning. I was not crying for Bill Compton. I was crying for the emotion I had been tricked into feeling with vampire blood. It had been so beautiful and precious to me, and it was shattered when I rose, only to then discover the emotion wasn't even mine, that I had never really experienced love. I had been afraid for the last month that maybe I had never been capable of creating something so beautiful of my own.

Godric had felt the new emotion I was keeping tucked away. He had felt it pulse just twice and still had reacted very badly to it being taken from him, and he knew that it wasn't even his emotion. He knew exactly how amazing and beautiful it really was so he also realized there was nothing he could say to make this less painful for me. Godric understood he would've been devastated himself if something like that had first been taken from him then told it was fabricated, so he offered no words of reassurance or false promises about how it would be okay, because that particular hurt could never be okay. In a way it had been emotional rape. So he just held me and flooded me with support and empathy until the tears stopped. They didn't last long, honestly, because even though that stunning emotion had been ripped from me, I had something even more exquisite and potent now. The emotion I was now protecting was far stronger and definitely real.

When the tears stopped, Godric pulled back and quickly cleaned my cheeks for me with a rag from the bar while he said, "You do not ever have to share this feeling with the bloodline, Sookie. You are right, it is yours. You do not owe it to anyone to share it with them just because they want a chance to experience how incredible it is. I am sorry for that. I hope one day you will share it with me, but I completely understand why that day is not today. There is one thing you really should do though, and you don't have to do it right now, but eventually, sometime soon, you should share it with Eric."

I looked up at him and he smiled gently, slightly amused but mainly concerned when he felt my trepidation at the idea. I didn't explain what caused it and he didn't ask.

"You feel the same way about the emotion that you do about Eric," he stated. "I can feel it in your blood. That is a very beautiful thing, child. I do think you should consider one thing though, if you won't share yours with him, why would he share his with you?" He threw me a mischievous wink when my head snapped up at that and I felt his mirth bubble in my veins. I also felt the truth of his statement in the blood. It had never occurred to me Eric was shielding love from me too. Why would it? I was using mental shields to keep it extra safe, but he had to be using blood shields. I had completely forgotten he had shields at all. My heart literally lifted with Godric's comment and I felt like five years had been removed from my shoulders. Godric laughed behind me as he slid behind the bar, feeling the difference in my emotional state, as he popped some blood in the microwave and rinsed the wash cloth free of my scent before trashing it.

"I guess it's a really good thing I wore red tonight, huh?" I asked, giggling when I felt his mirth double.

"Here," Godric called to me as he tossed a red Fangtasia shirt my way. I had no reason to be self-conscious around Godric since he had literally seen me die, so I stripped my jacket and ruined shirt off and was sliding the new one over my head when I heard the door open, felt Eric's lust shoot up, and heard his fangs snick down. He only got a brief glance at the black lingerie underneath, so I laughed while blushing in the tie, not bothering to block it. I looked up at Eric and winked, to which he responded with a growl.

Godric and I both laughed after that one.

"Wanna see something cool?" I asked. Godric had seen this before but Eric hadn't. He nodded with a shrug, retracted his fangs, walked over, sat down on a bar stool, and leaned his back up against the bar to watch as I grabbed the ruined shirt with my hand, then shot a strong, but concentrated burst of sunlight at the fabric still clenched in my microwave fingers. It disintegrated into dust.

Eric didn't say a word but had a small smile on his face as he clapped and I could feel a little awe coming from the tie.

He sent me curiosity and friskiness as he said, "Not that I mind you changing in the middle of Fangtasia, and I don't- you are even welcome to use the stage as your personal dressing room- but what happened to the shirt?"

"Got blood on it," Godric and I answered simultaneously, sending each other amusement, as Godric leaned across the bar to slide a new warm cup of blood towards me. This time it was B negative. I guess he felt I earned the better flavor.

Eric watched me intently as I drained the cup of blood and I could feel his rising lust with each swallow. When I finished it, I licked my lips and may have let out a small moan before turning back towards the bar to give it to Godric. "Thank you," I told him and he nodded at me as he rinsed the glass and set in the sink.


	11. Chapter 11: Bill Compton, the Idiot

**_A/N:_**

 _[1] So there's pretty much a direct scene from True Blood in this chapter. I couldn't think of a better way to summarize it and, honestly, the scene just fit in so well with the Eric I'm trying to create in this story- funny, but badass. The scene is part of a flashback. The dialogue from the flashback, including the scene, is in italics to show us that it's part of a memory being replayed. When Sookie sees memories in True Blood, they're kind of faded, so I wrote the flashback dialogue in italics to give it more of an echo like feeling and give it that faded vibe._

 _[2] For some reason, True Blood_ _once_ _deemed Bill Compton the "best maker" for how he taught Jess to fight werewolves- and that never made sense to me. He only voluntarily taught her one thing- how to glamour. He dumped Jess off on Pam and Eric, didn't teach her to feed, and released her when he got back from Jackson. She had to beg him to keep her with him, which is why he reluctantly taught her to fight. It never sat well with me, so I guess I'm righting that wrong this chapter._

 _[3] I've read a couple fanfics now where Bon Temps was destroyed or Sam was killed, etc, because Bill was removed from the maenad equation. In reality, though, I really think Eric would've stepped in to help Sam and Bon Temps if Bill was no longer part of the picture. The Queen only kept Eric there to keep Eric from getting more involved with her telepath. I think she would've told Eric exactly what she told Bill if procuring Sookie was no longer important to her. That's how I see it. And how I wrote it._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own True Blood and SVM. The characters and plots of TB and SVM belong to Alan Ball, HBO, and Charlaine Harris. I own nothing. Though I'd be happy to lay a very different type of claim on our favorite Viking._

* * *

Godric rested his elbows on the bar and leaned in to join the conversation while I hopped up on the bar stool and angled myself towards Eric as I asked, "Everything go okay? You disappeared with the blood and were out there a long time."

"Yes, I sent Pam on her way a while ago with the blood and then had a long chat with the Magister. He was in the mood to bitch about Sophie-Anne and forced me to listen. I told him about the missing vampire in the area to which he told me 'Excellent work' and commended me on getting such fast results," he said, shooting us full of mirth and amusement while he spoke. "He'll get a call from a glamoured Lafayette tomorrow during the day. He has Weres working in his office, so they will get all the information before anyone from the palace has a chance to tip them off tomorrow night."

"I really should've asked this earlier, but Lafayette won't get in trouble for bein' a former V dealer, will he?" I could feel my protective side actually pulsing in my veins as I asked and was sent reassurance from both Godric and Eric, plus a tender stroke from Eric to soothe away my inner beast.

"No," Eric replied instantly and reached out to grab my hand resting on the bar and gave it a squeeze. "It's in our records that Lafayette was punished and given his freedom because he made a deal to give up information on dealers in Dallas and information on a missing vampire in this area. With the additional information he will give them tomorrow, they'll think he has truly turned his life around and see him as a reliable potential source for future information. They will not want to risk that opportunity when he has already been punished."

"Good. He's really been through enough in his life, he doesn't need any more vampire trouble," I said with relief and squeezed Eric's hand back while I sent him gratitude.

"This Lafayette turned in Dallas drainers?" Godric asked.

Eric nodded and said, "We were looking for possible leads on your abduction, Godric. He had been in contact online with a few and we were able to trace the emails he gave us back to them."

"Well if he helped Dallas find drainers, he is already considered a reliable source. That is another point in our favor for when the Queen's tip is called in," Godric added, impressed with my decision to involve him.

"It was another brilliant idea from you, Sookie. Plus if we hadn't decided this would be in return for the favor he owes me, the Magister would've owed Lafayette a personal favor. Once they find the blood, the Magister will be inclined to offer Lafayette protection for his help in making sure our most sacrosanct law is upheld. The sanctity of the blood is by far one of our most important laws," he stressed and showered me in pride. I felt really good about ensuring Lafayette protection from vampires in the future. He was like a brother to me. Most of the time he was more brotherly than Jason was.

"What would you have done, Eric? You both liked my own strategy, but if I hadn't been here, what would you have done?" I asked curiously. I actually really wanted to know. Eric had been in a Catch 22 when we found out. He couldn't give up the Queen or he'd be executed for treason, but if he didn't he'd be facing execution for defiling the blood. Godric had wanted me to learn from Eric while I was here. He had told me Eric was the best strategist he knew, which left me feeling incredibly flattered they were so impressed with my own strategy, so I wondered what he would've done strategy-wise if I had never shown up here.

He stroked the back of my hand while he thought, then laced his fingers with my own and pulled my hand into his lap to rest on his knee while he grabbed my stool and tugged it to bring me closer before he looked up at me, and said, "Sookie, I would've been caught with the blood if you hadn't found it. That could've gone two ways; the Magister could've ordered my immediate punishment and final death," he sent me affection when I blanched internally, "or he would've given me the chance to explain someone framed me. I wouldn't have been able to explain who it was so I would've thrown someone else under the bus, likely Compton, and the Magister would probably have given me some time to prove it. Of course, he has a fascination with torture, so he probably would've unnecessarily held someone close to me, probably Pam, for fun while he sent me out to search for Compton.'

"The only thing I can think of doing in that scary-ass scenario is going to a new monarch and pledging my fealty to them, thus voiding my pledge to Sophie-Anne, and offering up what I know about her problems with the IRS and V dealing in exchange for their support with the Magister. I probably would've approached the King of Mississippi, Russell Edington, since he's made a bid for Sophie-Anne's hand several times in the last few years. He would've helped me get her released, but Louisiana would've have had a new monarch who doesn't support everything about the mainstreaming movement. I am very grateful we have avoided being caught with that plant and, by finding the blood and coming up with an alternative way to deal with the Queen and the Magister, you have saved Pam possible torture and me from probable death. Thank you," he finished and lifted my hand to kiss the back of it while he flooded me with an ocean of gratitude. Godric nodded in agreement with everything Eric said and sent me pride. I gave them both a dazzling smile and Eric a push that said he was welcome.

He was about to say something else when his cell phone rang. I chuckled when I recognized it was "Animal" by Kesha and figured Pam had likely programmed it. Eric smirked at me as he pulled it out of jacket pocket and answered, "Speak." Vampires really did have pathetic phone manners.

Pam immediately fired something off in Swedish, which meant she wasn't alone, and Eric tensed. He listened a little longer, growled slightly, and shot something back to her in the same language. When she responded, true irritation flared in his veins, which then morphed into intrigue. He shot a look at Godric who was feeling just as intrigued. Godric nodded and sent agreement to him. Then Eric looked back at me and replied to Pam again.

I would have to ask Godric and Eric to start teaching me Swedish. It was so unfair that three members of my bloodline could converse in a language I didn't understand right in front of me. Godric felt my sense of injustice swell within the bond and chuckled. He then pushed agreement towards me to answer my unasked question, he would teach me. He caressed the bond when he felt my child-like delight ripple across it and I purred. Eric watched our exchange with amusement and sent me his own push, offering his assistance with the language too. Godric sent him gratitude for the both of us.

"Oh, and Pamela," he added in English. "We have company. You will behave." He quickly hung up without explaining further to her and his eyes still hadn't left mine. "Pam is close and bringing someone with her. She found Compton's progeny, Jessica, inside the house, alone. Apparently wherever Bill is, his progeny did not accompany him." His lips twitched when he felt affection and gentle possessiveness ignite in my blood. I liked Jessica a great deal and oddly felt I should take care of her. In a small way, I felt responsible for her turning. In reality, I wasn't. Bill could have easily restrained Longshadow but ended him instead and I wasn't to blame for that. Jessica and I had grown closer when Eric brought her back to Bill and I felt she had also calmed down somewhat too. I also pitied her a little, she had a really horrendous maker.

"Sookie," he said, his voice taking on a softer but more serious tone. "Pam smelled death in the house and decided to investigate. Jessica fed from someone and hadn't pulled back in time to save him. He was still alive when she got control of herself and she tried to feed him her blood but he lost too much of his own. Bill hadn't explained the mechanics of turning someone to her so Jessica didn't bury him. She is lucky in that respect or she would have a new progeny in a couple nights, one she felt no pull towards and one that would've hated her for turning him. Pam helped her dispose of the body and is bringing Jessica back with her. Apparently Bill also didn't explain the maker's call to her and she experienced it but had no idea what it meant. She asked Pam about it and Pam helped her track it back to a car that had crashed and they found the bodies of werewolves at the scene."

The intrigue I felt earlier shot to the fore when he spoke the bit about the werewolves. I would have to ask them why later when we had a little more time. As far as I knew, vampires hated werewolves, so I didn't really understand what had piqued their interest.

Eric studied me and my emotions intently as he told me all of this. I think he expected me to be angry with Jessica over killing a person, and I was angry. I was furious with Bill for not teaching her to feed properly and not taking his duty as a maker seriously, but not Jessica. She was still a newborn and nobody had taken her aside to teach her the way of life for vampires. She now had the blood of an innocent on her hands because Bill had stupidly tried to force her to only ever drink True Blood. That's all fine and dandy, but now that Bill's missing, Jessica had no money and had no idea how to survive on her own. Even if he wanted her to mainstream, he should have taught her to feed in case of emergencies. What would've happened if she had been seriously injured? True blood didn't help that much with healing, human blood was necessary for that. On top of that, she had no idea how to temper her craving for human blood with donor bags or how to pull away from a feed before she killed someone. She also couldn't help get her maker back and learn the control she needed since he didn't take the time to explain to her how to answer his call.

"Bill Compton has to be the most idiotic vampire I have ever met," I hissed. Eric brought his gaze up to look at Godric with wide eyes for a second, then the both of them burst into laughter.

"I was worried about how you would react to Jessica when she got here since she killed someone, but I think you're more angry at Compton for this, aren't you?" he asked between chuckles and gasps of air he didn't really need.

I nodded, still tense and furious, and said, "He never taught her, Eric. Bill tried to wash his hands of her immediately after he turned her, and when you and Pam forced him to pick of the reigns of bein' a maker, he refused to let her drink anythin' but True Blood. When we arrived in Dallas, I had managed to talk him into trying to teach her somethin' and he seemed to be takin' her serious for the first time. He taught her glamour the night before I died, but I'm pretty sure that was the only thing he ever taught her at that point. She wouldn't have known how to stop herself once she began to feed and now that Bill is missing, she doesn't know how to survive on her own. _I_ know more than Jessica does. She has innocent blood on her hands now because her maker is an idiot and she will have to deal with that until she meets her true death. He is responsible for this death, not Jessica."

Eric had calmed down and stilled as I said this, letting everything I said sink in. He analyzed how I felt when I spoke and seemed to be considering the situation seriously. He could feel that I held no blame for Jessica and that Godric agreed with me. Our maker was deeply saddened that Jessica would feel responsible for this for the rest of her life. Godric himself had felt the burden of innocent deaths and it had literally become too much for him at one point, which is when we crossed paths. He was living a better life now and was actively trying to teach me vampiric control so I would never feel the burden of killing an innocent. Though he had no problems teaching me to defend myself and kill the _less_ innocent.

"You don't think she should be punished for this," he stated meditatively. It wasn't a question, but he felt both me and Godric agree with his assessment in our blood. "What would you have me do?" he asked, looking between me and Godric.

"Offer to let this one go if Jessica will agree never to mention Pam had showed up tonight and searched the house. I'm sure Pam didn't let Jessica see her plant the blood, but she could attest to the fact she was on the scene. Convince her that Bill should've taught her to control herself better and she isn't to blame, at least this time. Explain to her that a maker is responsible for his progeny and that Bill should be punished for her lack of control so she agrees not to speak up about Pam's presence. The Magister will assume the smell of death came from Bill and the messy feed will just further our agenda anyway. It might even be better if you tell her you were concerned that Jessica might've been left alone and you sent Pam to investigate. She won't want Pam to get in trouble for checkin' on her," I suggested. I was worried about Jessica reporting Pam's presence back to either her maker, if she ever saw him again, or to someone in authority just as much as I was concerned for Jessica herself.

Godric added to my suggestions and said, "You're sheriff. Find someone to sponsor the girl while her maker is away as well. Let them know they may need to permanently take over and sponsor her blood if her maker never returns or is caught by the Magister. Someone needs to teach this girl our ways before she harms anyone else."

I brought his attention back to me with a squeeze of his hand and pleaded in a whisper, "Please find her a good one, Eric. It's turnin' out that the beginnin' of her life as a vampire has been much more violent than it should be, especially after the great reveal." Her turning was violent, she had been abandoned once already, and she had lost control the first time she drank human blood. She'd had a very tough transition period.

He nodded and sighed as he squeezed back, "I will have Pam look out for her until the situation with the Queen and the Magister is over. She is at the age now where she will be considering becoming a maker herself, so this would be a good test run for her. I'll have her explain our laws and teach her to feed properly. If Pam becomes attached to Jessica, I will allow her to sponsor her blood and become her maker."

There was a ritual that vampires had that allowed someone to be replaced as a maker, which was referred to as "sponsoring the blood." It involved draining the potential progeny and replacing their blood with that of the sponsor, a burial, and a blood vow, which then established a new bond. The old one simply fizzled away. It was very similar to a turning but only one night in the ground was necessary for the magic to take root and had the addition of the blood vow, which was as simple as cutting their palms and completing a pledge. Honestly, I hoped Jessica grew on Pam because I would love to have Jessica in my bloodline. Godric and Eric could feel this so Godric shot me his amusement and Eric smirked at me. Eric then surprised me by sending me his own fatherly affection for Jessica and his hope for Pam as well, it turned out Eric liked Jessica much more than he pretended when he had dumped her back on Bill. I responded with mirth. That was funny.

"You plan to go to rest at dawn in Bon Temps, master?" Eric asked Godric while I settled down. I could tell from his blood he didn't like the idea and I cocked my head to the side confused.

"Yes," Godric answered before I could question why the idea bothered Eric. "We had contractors make it light-tight for me and reinforce it with additional security. They informed us last night that everything was ready, so we packed our things and caught a flight out tonight. We came here straight from the airport. We will rest there, tomorrow night we will have time to unpack, hopefully meet with some of Sookie's loved ones, then we will meet back here." He turned to look at me and added very sternly, obviously giving me an order, "Tomorrow night you will feed from the source."

I blanched. And then my fangs throbbed. Part of me wanted nothing to do with feeding from humans, panicking about the possibility of ever hurting one, while another part of me was deliciously excited and licking her lips at the idea. Lately, I had come to think that maybe there were two different supes battling for control inside of me, Fairy Sookie versus Vampire Sookie. One had very intense, beautiful emotions and valued life above all things while the other part was all predator and valued blood above all things. No part of me felt human anymore, so Human Sookie didn't even come into play. It was incredibly confusing.

Feeling my internal conflict, Eric threw me a confused look and his eyebrows shot up to the sky. He turned to look at Godric and asked, astonished, "Sookie has not fed from a human yet?"

"No," Godric answered, still giving me a very stern look. "She convinced me to wait until she was more controlled around blood and more comfortable with the idea. Since I can feel how conflicted she is, I agreed. Her inner conflict has not lessened though, and after hearing about young Jessica, I do not want to wait any longer."

"But Godric-" I started, afraid and excited all at once.

"No, Sookie. If something ever happens to me or I need to leave you alone overnight or longer, you need to learn this. You need to know how to survive. I will not let you avoid this- I will make sure you will never have to feel the burden and guilt of causing innocent bloodshed. I will not allow you to let this wait and deal with it when it escalates and you harm someone like Jessica did," he interrupted. His face and voice then softened considerably. "Sookie," he said gently, "you have incredible control. You have interacted with many humans in the last month and you were fine on the plane. I believe your control will extend to feeding, and if it doesn't then I will be there to make sure nothing serious happens and we will work on it until you can feed without worry. You must trust me on this."

I swallowed. The truth was, I did trust him. I trusted him unconditionally. My problem was with myself. I could feel how excited I was, how high my level of anticipation was, and I knew how much I craved blood. All of those things scared the ever-loving shit out of me. I didn't have a choice in this though. Godric would make me do this whether I wanted to or not, even though a part of me did really, really want to do it.

I sighed and bent my head in submission, saying, "Yes, master." Eric's lust suddenly shot through the roof when I said this and his fangs dropped. His lust had been steadily rising the longer we talked about feeding and I guess saying "master" was too much for him. I pulled my hand from his, just a little disturbed, and shot him a look that very clearly said, "Never gonna happen, buddy." Joking about S and M was one thing, but trying it was something completely different and I was not willing to try it. Godric would be the _only_ person I ever referred to as my master, something I was sure was now coming across in my blood.

Godric laughed and flooded us both with amusement while Eric very reluctantly retracted his fangs and playfully pouted a little. At least I thought it was playfully.

I hoped, because S and M wasn't something I would be trying anytime soon.

"About your house, Sookie. I think you both should rest with me tonight, there was some damage done to your house after Dallas," Eric began. I immediately started to panic and he wrapped me up in reassurance and comfort before continuing, "Your roommate, Tara, had invited a woman to stay with her. She turned out to be a maenad, the same one that attacked you. She used her own type of glamour, some weird supernatural influence that made the eyes of everyone she controlled turn black, to throw parties there and hold some type of ceremony in your yard where she then attempted to sacrifice your shifter boss to Dionysus. Many things were destroyed but I sent in a cleaning crew and some contractors to work on the damage. I haven't been back to your house since and I think it would be smarter if you checked it out first to make sure everything is okay and you still have everything you need before you stay there."

The moment he talked about human sacrifice, my concern about the house flew out the window. Godric sent his agreement to Eric, but before he could voice his assent, I questioned Eric in a rush, "But Sam? Tara? My friends? My town? Is everything okay? Did my brother get swept up in this mess?"

I jumped up from the bar stool while he sent me reassurance and stepped between his legs. He looked at me surprised but reflexively settled his hands on my hips.

"I want you to show me," I said quietly. His eyebrows furrowed so I clarified, "I can dig through your memories, Eric. But it would be so much faster and easier if you could show me what's important." I laid a hand gently on each side of his face and whispered, "And touchin' you would make everythin' I see and hear clearer."

"All right," he said just as softly. "But everything turned out fine. Everyone is okay, safe, and the maenad has been destroyed, okay?"

I nodded and focused while Eric exhaled slowly, gathering his thoughts and what he wanted me to see, before he closed his eyes.

The first thing he pictured was Fangtasia the night after he got back from Dallas. He was laid out like a giant cat, resting on his side on top of a booth with Pam standing behind him and Sam sitting across from him. Colby and Lisa were tucked in close to Sam. Colby looked excited while Lisa looked a little terrified to be so close to real vampires.

 _"_ _No, you're here to request my help based on some hypothetical future in which you returned the favor,"_ Eric said, skeptical. Sam shot a look at the kids. Clever move, Sam, but you're dealing with vampires, that wouldn't be enough to sway him, I thought to myself. I felt for him. Sam looked desperate and edgy, plus he was worried Eric wouldn't help. I was very relieved to find out he had. _"_ _But you are known to not be friendly to those like me. Why should I trust you?"_

 _"_ _Because, until somebody starts trusting somebody, we're all single targets! Just ripe for the picking,"_ Sam shot back, exasperated _._ I was exasperated and I was just watching. Eric felt my reaction and sent me amusement.

 _"_ _I have no knowledge of this maenad creature, although I suspect it's the bullheaded beast that passed through here recently. Right Pam?"_ he said, briefly glancing over his shoulder. Pam looked pissed. Then again, she always looked pissed.

She snarled and quipped, _"_ _That thing owes me a new pair of shoes."_

 _"_ _So can you help us or not?"_ Sam asked, trying to focus them once again.

 _"_ _I do know someone who might be able to offer something useful._ Might _offer something,"_ Eric speculated.

He then showed me a hilarious exchange between him and Arlene's kids. I laughed out loud and gasped for breath and Eric smiled at my reaction and tugged me a little closer while he ran through what happened next.

 _"_ _So can you call this other person who might be able to-"_ Sam began.

 _"_ _Better yet, I will go see her, but I must leave right away,"_ Eric said.

Sam sighed, relieved to finally be getting somewhere. " _Great. The sooner the better. She and her followers are tearing apart the town and destroying Sookie's house. Sookie will be pissed when she gets back."_ Suddenly, white, hot rage swept through Eric in the memory. I could feel an echo of his rage in the real world. He was furious that my house was being destroyed and Memory Eric thought about how they were destroying the last of my scent. " _Wait, I thought you went with her to Dallas. Is she back, Eric?"_

Eric fast-forwarded to his arrival at the palace, saving me from watching Sam react to my death. Chances were I would come across how everyone felt when they found out in the next couple of days. They were all likely to think about the moment someone told them I was dead when they saw me again. I would deal with it then, but I couldn't handle that tonight.

My fangs dropped when the Queen forced him to sit down and play Yahtzee with her and my cousin. Suddenly, it all made sense and I knew exactly how the Queen and Bill new about my telepathy. She was a pet, which meant her blood also tasted good. With the knowledge I was telepathic and the fact Hadley tasted better than most humans, Sophie-Anne figured I would as well and sent Bill out to procure me.

Betrayal swept through me, burning me with its intensity. I felt Godric slip his hand onto my shoulder and Eric's hands squeezed my hips in reaction to the emotion eating away at me. They flooded me with support and concern. Godric swept a blood tear from my cheek and popped it in his mouth. The memory faltered for a second, but with a push from me urging him to continue, he quickly sped through the information the Queen had on maenads. As he was leaving the compound, he was confronted by Bill, who accused him of helping Sam because Eric wanted to seem less like a murderer to my friends, to seem like a hero.

Bill was an idiot.

" _Stay away from Sookie's hometown, Eric. You're the reason she's dead, nobody will want you around there when they find out about Sookie. Come near Bon Temps again and I'll tell the Queen that you're selling vampire blood,"_ he threatened. I sent Eric exasperation over Bill's false heroic antics and Eric chuckled. What was he even doing? Asking Eric to stay away for the sake of Bon Temps? Eric was trying to keep an immortal and insane creature from completely levelling the town. Bill just wanted a chance to throw blame at him for my death. I didn't blame Eric and I sent that to him in an emotional push. In return, I received, through the tie, what felt like kisses all over my face that were laced with affection and intense gratitude. I simultaneously blushed emotionally and purred. He didn't send it to me, but he also felt enormous relief. He must've been really worried I blamed him.

 _"_ _Do it, Bill, and maybe I will have to explain to the good citizens of Bon Temps that you had two psychos beat Sookie within an inch of her life so you could feed her your blood the night you met_ ," Eric coolly retorted. They snarled at each other a little longer before the Queen vamped over and pulled Bill away.

 _"_ _Maybe it's time we discuss your punishment for letting my telepath die, Bill_..." her voice drifted off in the background as Eric resumed his path out of the compound and shot into the sky.

I felt another sting of betrayal thinking about that night, when Bill was late and I was attacked by the drainers. Godric had posited Bill had done it on purpose, that Bill had likely glamoured them to approach him and attack him outside the bar to test me. When I passed with flying colors, because I was an idiot, Bill plotted ways to get his blood in me. Asshole.

Godric tugged on the bond and I turned my head to look at him. He sent me concern laced with curiosity instead of asking so he didn't break Eric's concentration. I thought about how to reply for a second. How do you summarize everything through emotional exchange? Then I remembered my nifty little telepathic ability. I could transmit thoughts if I used my telepathy with my glamour. It was like this weird combination of giving and receiving at the same time, I had to both push and pull. I assumed it didn't work on vampires because they couldn't be glamoured, but I wasn't exactly a vampire. I was something _more_. Could I do it?

I opened another thought process, because I was still listening to Eric with one process and thinking about what Bill did to me with another, not to mention the mental eye I was keeping open on the area around the bar. When Godric's thoughts started to come in, I filed them away to analyze later, then pushed my glamour at him. It was a little bit more difficult than pushing thoughts at a human, like trying to run underwater, but I could do it. I smiled and sent, "Eric ran into Bill when he went to the Queen for information on maenads. Bill just confirmed that he was behind those drainers attackin' me. He did it to get his blood into me."

Godric's eyes widened and shock went through him, not about Bill but about my new ability. Eric faltered again, feeling Godric's shock, but continued after another push, this time from the both of us. Godric was thinking a million things at once before he settled on one, focused on it, and sent it directly at me. I pushed confusion towards him and thought "You have to think it in English, Godric," at him.

He chuckled and sent me mirth before thinking, "Can you replay Eric's thoughts for me while you watch?"

I fiddled around a little bit and thought, "Yes, I think I can. It will be easier for you if you shut your eyes." They immediately snapped closed and I began streaming Eric's thoughts into Godric's mind. Godric pushed pride at me, so I knew he was receiving them.

We both watched as Eric landed in front of Lafayette's house. It appeared Jason, who was getting back from wherever the hell he was, received a call from a frantic Lafayette warning him away from my place. Jason somehow ran into Sam, Andy, and Colby and Lisa. They gathered at Lafayette's, who had Tara tied up, which is where Sam told Eric to meet with them. Eric explained what he knew about the maenad and Sam revealed he was a shifter when everyone interrogated him on why the maenad was after him. Oddly enough, it was Jason who came up with the ultimate plan.

Sam had been talking about Maryanne's natural form, which had the head of a bull, when Jason snarled, _"_ _I wish ya could just shift into a bull and tear her heart out. Then she'd think her precious god would want her dead and finally allow herself to die. We'd get this shit over with."_

I laughed and sent both Eric and Godric my pride in my brother as I watched everyone in the memory look at him, completely flabbergasted. Then they plotted out how to do exactly that.

 _"_ _Maenad,"_ Eric shouted at the group gathered outside my house with the nasty-ass offering looming over them. _"_ _I heard you wanted the shifter. I will give him to you if you vow to leave this area and never return."_

Apparently, Maryanne liked that idea just fine and Eric handed over a struggling Sam. Another tear slipped down my cheek, which I wiped away, when I watched Sam stabbed and lifted up to be tied up. Eric actually sent me remorse as I watched it. I seriously wondered if he gave Sam so much shit because he secretly enjoyed talking to him. Sam wasn't afraid of Eric, just like me. Mainly, he was annoyed by Eric. That would actually probably be refreshing for him.

When it looked like Sam really might meet his end, Pam hilariously popped up out of nowhere hissing and yelling something about taking vengeance for her pumps, knocking over the demented offering and destroying the egg in the center of it. Maryanne tried to sacrifice everyone so Pam punched her in the face, which led to Pam being chased by the bullheaded lady while Eric quickly lowered Sam to the ground, bit into his own wrist, and fed Sam. He shifted into a glorious white bull, met up in area they had designated Pam to lead Maryanne to beforehand, and Sam thrust his horn through her chest, which turned out to be his arm when he shifted back.

" _Was there no god?"_ Maryanne asked before keeling over and withering away.

 _"_ _Not for you,"_ Pam quipped in a little sing-song voice. Eric tasked her with disposing of the body before walking back to my house with Sam, discussing what to do next.

Eric glamoured everyone to think they experienced the Bon Temps version of Woodstock and implanted a nice healthy dose of guilt for "fucking with Sookie's house." Jason and Andy pulled up and Sam led some injured people over to them while the rest of the town started cleaning up my lawn. It seemed the guilt had the desired effect. Sam thanked Eric for his help and reasserted his vow of a favor. Eric nodded and, in an uncharacteristically human moment, shook his hand.

The memory cut off and Eric opened his eyes right after Jason said, _"_ _Uh, Eric? Where's my sister? Shouldn't Sook be here?"_

I pulled back my glamour and wasn't really surprised when Godric had to scoop another blood tear off my face and stuck it in his mouth. _I'll get you something to clean up with,_ he thought at me and I sent him gratitude before focusing strictly on Eric.

He was feeling apprehensive about everything he showed me and I wasn't helping. My emotions were scattered and I wasn't sure exactly what I was feeling myself. I silenced any worries he had though by sliding my hands from his face to his neck and leaning in to kiss him. I spent about two minutes kissing him lazily and tenderly, not really feeling a whole lot of lust but feeling a whole lot of intense pleasure, which was matched by the man I was kissing, before I pulled back.

"What was that for?" he asked, his throat hoarse.

"For saving my house, my friends, and my town," I shrugged, then added with a devilish grin, "and because I wanted to." I pressed my lips to his again, caressing his lips with my own for a second before I finished with, "Thank you."

"You know I did it to get leverage over the shifter," he cautioned. "I love favors."

"Bullshit," I challenged. His eyebrows rose and he looked at me incredulously. I smiled mischievously as I fixed the collar of his jacket and said, "I very clearly heard you did it because they were 'fucking with the last of Sookie's scent.'" His mouth snapped shut and he glared at me as I patted the rest of his jacket down, smoothing imaginary wrinkles so I didn't have to meet his eyes. Godric was, of course, laughing his ass off.

I turned around after I "fixed Eric's jacket" and accepted the wet rag Godric was holding out for me before vamping over to the restroom to clean myself up. I was sure to be a hot mess after everything that had happened so far tonight.


	12. Chapter 12: Blood of My Blood

**A/N:**

[1] I loovvvee this chapter. You're all about to get a nice, healthy dose of Faepire Sookie. Who knew sunlight and fangs went so well together?

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own True Blood or SVM, I just like making their characters purr. HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris own anything and everything to do with TB and SVM.

* * *

 **EPOV**

"Why even attempt to bullshit her when she can read your thoughts and has a direct line to your emotions?" Godric asked, genuinely curious.

"Sookie is fiery. I think it's one of the things I love most about her. Any opportunity I have to push her and fan that flame, is an opportunity I will take," I said with a wistful smile on my face. Godric nodded and sent me understanding. It wasn't until I felt that emotional push that I realized exactly what I had said, _one of the things I_ love _most about her._ I quickly moved on before Godric took the opportunity to analyze what I had just admitted to him by asking, "What was it that caused you shock while I was replaying those memories for her?"

"I sent her curiosity and concern, but neither of us wanted to break your concentration. Sookie can use her telepathy in combination with her glamour to transmit thoughts. She experimented with it, since she didn't want you to lose focus, and pushed her glamour at me. It worked. She was able to replay everything she picked up from you to me, which probably means Sookie can also glamour vampires if she attempted to," he stated, feeling a huge surge of pride in his progeny as he spoke.

Would I ever stop being stunned by her? Stop being surprised by her?

I seriously doubted it.

I also seriously prayed she never glamoured _me_.

"Gods, she is amazing," I murmured, my words laced with well-deserved reverence. Godric nodded in agreement. It wasn't just her abilities that were amazing, it was her thought process. I doubted it would've occurred to other vampires to even attempt to try to glamour another vampire, let alone push a thought while they did it, and yet she had done just that and even thought to try and stream a memory like a video for Godric to watch. "That will come in handy. If we ever need to warn her or her us, we could simply think at each other." His blood hummed in agreement with me.

"You realize you cannot tell your progeny all that you've learned about Sookie tonight? I trust you with both our lives, Eric, but I must admit I do not have that same level of trust in Pamela. I can sense a streak of vindictiveness in her and sometimes she still acts rashly. With Sookie's life on the line, I cannot risk it. Pamela must not know until Sookie and I decide we have faith in her confidences," he stated sadly.

Unfortunately, I agreed with him. Pam had an almost unhealthy level of resentment for Sookie that I didn't really understand. She would use Sookie's Fae-ness, for lack of a better word, to taunt and tease her, which might slip out around someone who shouldn't know. Her lack of brain-to-mouth filter could end up causing Sookie's death or capture. Plus, she would feel extreme jealousy over Sookie's talents and would be quick to attempt to gain vengeance on Sookie if she ever pissed Pam off. Pam would never do anything to endanger me, but that courtesy did not extend to Sookie. Like Godric, I trusted her with my life, but not with Sookie's.

"Command me," I said, standing up and taking a step towards him. "You're right. This information is not for my progeny to know. I think she'll eventually figure it out and we'll have to explain Sookie's heightened telepathy to her, at which time I will issue a command to her, but not until they know each other better and Sookie has a genuine chance to win Pam over. So command me not to tell Pam about Sookie's Fae ancestry and abilities, I don't want to chance it slipping out. I never want to be the reason Sookie gets hurt."

Godric nearly drowned me in pride and affection as he said, "Eric, I command you never to reveal or discuss Sookie's ancestry with anyone besides me and Sookie. As your maker, I command you never to reveal her Fae abilities unless I give you permission to do so."

I felt his commands take hold and settle on my shoulders like a mantle, but it was a weight I would happily bear to keep Sookie safe. I felt Pam's presence coming closer as everything settled and tugged on our bond to warn Godric.

"Speak of the devil," I mumbled under my breath, feeling Godric's responding amusement, as the door to the front of the club opened and Pam walked in. She placed her bag and a folder down on the nearest booth before she looked up. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment as she caught sight of Godric. I took that moment to reopen our bond and immediately felt Pam's surprise and a rush of excitement run through her. She vamped over to us and dropped to her knees before Godric.

"Blood of my blood," she breathed reverently. Jessica happened to follow Pam in at that instant, carrying what looked to be files and a laptop with a wide dufflebag slung over her shoulder. She froze, shocked to see Pam on her knees before anybody. I guess Compton never taught Jessica about bloodlines and respect for her elders either. Slowly, as if she was afraid she'd be attacked if she attracted attention to herself, Jessica lowered her baggage and the computer on a table and continued to watch in silence. Her shoulders were slumped and red was smeared beneath her eyes and across her cheeks. She had been crying tonight.

"Child of my child," Godric said with a smile, reaching a hand down to help Pam up. He then pressed a kiss to her forehead and sent her affection.

"You've opened your bond," she stated without thinking. Her blood echoed her thoughts. She was shocked to be feeling anything tonight from her bloodline, let alone the maker of her maker.

Sookie strolled out of the bathroom at that moment. She had tamed her wild hair, cleaned the blood from her face and hands, applied some lip gloss, and generally just looked sexy. My lust jumped.

She had that effect on me.

"Sookie?" Jessica cried out in disbelief before launching herself at Sookie with vamp speed. Sookie managed to throw open her arms, using that same speed, just as Jessica came crashing into them. The fact that Sookie wasn't sprawled out on the floor in a heap of limbs caused both Jessica and Pam to come to the realization Sookie was a vampire at the same time. They both froze in the way only the undead could freeze.

Sookie was having none of that and wrapped her arms around Jessica, embracing her tightly, as she rocked them back and forth lazily, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and back.

"Bill said you were dead, as in finally dead. I told him he was wrong. I didn't believe him. I told him you couldn't have died, you're too _stubborn_ to die, but he said he felt it. Please don't do that to me again, Sookie. I've lost too many people for you to do that to me," Jessica whispered brokenly. I hadn't realized the baby vamp loved Sookie so much. I would've taken her under my wing sooner if I had realized how vital Sookie had been to Jessica's emotional health. She talked to Sookie like she was her mother, or at the least an older sister.

"Shhh, Jessica, it's okay. I'm back for good. I'm comin' back to Bon Temps. You don't need to worry about me anymore. You're stuck with me for eternity now," Sookie soothed. I felt genuine irritation, which was slowly escalating to rage, flare up in Pam's blood. I sent her a sharp admonishment, and felt her rage mount. She hadn't been scolded like that in over a month and apparently she had forgotten what happens when she disobeys my orders, even if they're sent within the blood, because I felt her blood protest and her working herself up to open her mouth. I sent her a large wave of caution and warning and she hesitated, backing down for a brief moment.

"I'm glad you're all right, Sookie. Everyone believes you're dead," Jessica said. Sookie loosened her grip slowly, patted her shoulders and smiled.

"I'm fine, Jess. Everything's good. Why don't you go clean yourself up?" Sookie suggested, pointing to the bathroom. Jessica nodded and disappeared. Sookie looked around the room briefly, until her eyes landed on me, and started walking towards the three of us. I sent her affection as she came to stand between me and Godric and slung my arm over her shoulders.

"Pam, meet Vampire Sookie," I said with a smirk and felt Godric and Sookie's amusement sprinkle across my bond with my maker.

"You turned her?" Pam snarled with disgust. "All this time I thought she was dead-"

"I am dead, Pam," Sookie interjected.

"And you _turned her?_ " she fumed at me. Her anger and misguided assumption was almost comical. Jessica came back out, obviously having cleaned up at vamp speed so she wouldn't miss something, and stood a couple feet from us, afraid to approach. Pam brought my attention back to her by literally snapping at me in the bond. I felt Sookie's irritation flare and Godric start to lose patience, and he was always very, very patient.

"No, but I wish I had," I said honestly. Sookie startled and looked up at me and Godric's mirth bloomed, his irritation completely disappearing. I kept my eyes on Pam and narrowed them at her when she hissed. "Sookie in predator mode is quite impressive and most… delicious," I added, beginning to enjoy myself thoroughly. Sookie immediately blushed in our tie at the insinuation, Godric chuckled, and both Pam and Jessica tried to, discreetly, scent the air for sex. Jessica relaxed, realizing I had been teasing, but Pam was still just as intense. "Check her scent, child. Then snap at me and accuse me of turning her again and see how I react."

Pam visibly tensed, realizing how far she had pushed me, but followed her order. And it was an order. Finally, she relaxed, recognizing that though Sookie and I shared some of the same undertones, we didn't smell enough alike for her to be my progeny. We smelled like vampire siblings.

"You know she has been assumed dead for a month. Where would I have kept her all that time? Or does she look like I turned her three days ago? When I was with you here at the club, Pam?" I scolded her sternly. She owed all three of us apologies and I pushed that towards her.

Stubborn to the core, Pam bowed her head to me but refused to say anything to Sookie and overlooked the offense to Godric, "I apologize, master. It has been a very tense night and I haven't been thinking as clearly since I arrived as I could have been. I am sorry." I nodded at her and waited for more, she just stared at me in response.

"Aww, what's the matter, Pam? Don't you have a hug for your Auntie?" Sookie asked in a sickly sweet voice. Both Godric and I felt our lips kick up and Jessica guffawed in the background.

"No," Pam rebutted. "But I always have a kiss for you if you'd like one, _Auntie,_ " she purred.

Sookie chuckled, "I bet you do. I may be vampire, but Godric changing me didn't _change_ that much about me."

"Too bad," Pam pouted and turned to Jessica, "Well, fire-crotch, would you like to explain to the class everything we discussed tonight?"

Jessica had enough. I could tell when she entered that she was on emotional overload and was close to the end of her rope. She obviously needed some blood, human blood, to settle her emotions and maybe a couple minutes to herself to digest everything. Sookie had realized this too and had sent her to the restroom to gather herself, but Jessica didn't take the time she needed, too anxious to return to see Sookie again. Now she was about to snap.

She dropped fang and hissed, "Give it a rest you over-eager bitch-"

Before anyone could react, Sookie let out a wicked snarl, dropped her own fangs, and slammed Jessica up against the wall. Even though she was livid, it was obvious she still cared for Jessica because her hands were restraining the baby vamp by the arms instead of one by the throat.

Pam tensed to move forward, obviously thinking she would need to break up a fight between two newborns, but I sent her push that very clearly told her not to and to watch. Her head turned towards me with a raised eyebrow, but she slowly nodded and relaxed. Sookie was completely rational in predator mode. Everything she did was with a purpose, and if the vampire in her wanted out because of Jessica's insult, then there was something more going on here and it wanted the reigns to take control. Pam's interference would just make it more difficult for Sookie to make her point. We both turned our eyes back to watch Sookie take Jessica to task.

Possessiveness and protectiveness was a literal, breathing entity pulsing inside of Sookie. Her anger beat within her veins like a heartbeat would, battering against her instinct not to hurt the baby vamp she held. Everything else fell away but those three emotions. It was incredibly intriguing because, normally, when her predator emerged, we could feel _all_ of her emotions pulling back, separating themselves from the predator emerging, like there were two different natures trapped inside her taking turns at the wheel and driving her.

First, there was the version of her who produced these strong, gorgeous emotions that almost burned us with their beauty, purity, and intensity. That side of her was the side that held life sacred, pushed us to open up and be more affectionate than any other vampire would dare to be, and caressed us with positive reinforcement when we pleased her. It was very Fae, to be honest. In what I had seen of the fairyfolk, they were overly affectionate and acted based on intense emotions, which included their own mischief and need for humor and amusement, but protected their kin with their very last breaths. Then there was the predator in her, the vampire.

When Vampire Sookie took control, everything changed. She became edgier, darker. She let the mask that made her softer fall away and gave us glimpses of the raw power resting just beneath her skin. This part of her, the vampire, was the punisher in the equation. She emerged when something pissed her off and she felt like she needed to take control. She was a lioness in that form, and like a lioness, she protected her pride. At the moment, she was feeling the protective instincts of a vampire.

Fairies and vampires were enemies, yet somehow both supes coexisted in the beautiful female before me. When the predator in her began to emerge, it was like the fairy in her tucked everything away to keep all that was Sookie safe from the vampire and hid it. Not right now though. At the moment, it was as if both the vampire and the fairy seemed to be in complete agreement where Jessica was concerned and allowed what they had agreed upon to take over by permitting Sookie three emotions; possessiveness, protectiveness, and rage. And they were the emotions of Fairy Sookie, blindingly intense and pure, but paired with vampiric darkness, making them hauntingly beautiful in a new and totally unique way.

Godric, who was able to glean my thoughts from my emotions and read me like an open book, felt my epiphany and his blood hummed in agreement and understanding. Now we both knew why Sookie reacted so differently from other vampires, she had a fairy inside safeguarding her, making sure nothing the vampire in her did tainted the beautiful light at her core. It was amazing and incredible. And the fact that they alternated inside her was even more amazing, neither one dominated the other. Instead both of her natures worked towards the common goal of protecting her, keeping her safe (both physically and emotionally), and protecting the people she deemed family. And she had deemed everyone in her bloodline family, including the ungrateful brat that was my progeny, Pam.

I leaned closer to Godric as I crossed my arms and stated, casually, in the ancient tongue of his people, the Gauls, "I forgot the only race more possessive than vampires were the Fae."

I was also excited about that fact. It meant Sookie had been completely serious when she claimed me. Her fairy nature had been at work and fairies were very, very possessive. I should have realized she was serious anyways though because Sookie may act like a temptress at times, but she was never one to lead someone on. She never once even looked at me too long while she was dating Compton. Sookie meant what she said when she said it, something I had doubted. That made me idiotic. But I was still very pleased and excited by my new understanding of her fairy nature.

"Especially of their kin," Godric added in the same language, chancing a glance at me. "And it seems she has deemed her bloodline worthy to be considered kin. We should feel extremely honored by that fact. Her very nature now drives her to protect us until her last breath, or final death in this case."

That was true. It was at the core of every fairy. They even fought death for a brief moment to come to the heads of their families, their oldest living relative, to tell them they were going to the Summerlands, give them one last message, and explain their cause of death. Would Sookie report to Godric now or the living eldest member of her fairy kin?

I couldn't think about that any longer, doing so would be thinking she would die one day and I knew one thing about that with absolute conviction, she would not die before me. Not again.

"I felt honored to have her as a member of my bloodline at all," I murmured to him and received a healthy dose of affection from him for that statement. We both turned back to keep an eye on Sookie and watch something nobody had ever seen before that moment, a fairy and a vampire united.

"Retract. Your. Fangs," Sookie stated lazily, in that calm, freaky way of hers. A thrill ran down Pam's spine and I swore I could almost feel the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. Jessica's face morphed into an expression of pure alarm. She tried to push herself forward just once, realized Sookie was stronger (which genuinely surprised Pam and I) and dropped her mouth open in shock. "Now, Jessica Hamby."

"She's stronger than Jessica," I murmured again in Godric's tongue. "Jessica is months older."

"But Sookie drank a lot of my blood before she died," he whispered vampire softly. No one further away than I was would hear. "She also rose a night early, Eric. She will be stronger than newborns within three to five years of her age."

Pam glanced at me quickly when she felt my resulting shock, but was too drawn to Sookie in predator mode to do anything but briefly look to make sure I was okay. Sookie rose a full night early, which meant she would indeed be a powerful vampire. She already was one, thanks to her essential spark, but because she rose early, Sookie would be remarkably stronger than those her age, have more purely vampire gifts than average, and more control over her abilities. Sookie was already showcasing her strengths by her completely astonishing control over her bonds and ability to manipulate her blood. She also had an unusually strong glamour, with or without the telepathy, if it was true that she could glamour vampires.

Rising early meant that Sookie had soaked up all the magic of the blood greedily, completely opening herself to the transition. It was very rare because very few vampires were that okay with their deaths. Early rising was almost a myth and when one did rise early, vampires heard about it quickly. For obvious reasons, Godric chose to tell only me this. We did not want extra attention shifted to Sookie, even if she did deserve a little awe from her vampire brethren.

Jessica retracted her fangs immediately and bowed her head in submission. Sookie was pleased by this, but not satisfied completely.

"You will not insult any blood of my blood," she hissed, shocking Pam (not that she hissed, but that she was standing up for her). "You cannot insult Pam just because you cannot control your urges," she snarled, each word dripping with disdain. Jessica looked ashamed, which was actually a positive sign. "As a member of this bloodline, as someone who shares the blood runnin' through my veins, Pam deserves respect and I will not let you insult any member of my bloodline in front of me. Now look at the vampires in this room," she ordered. Jessica looked up and met our eyes one by one. "These people deserve your respect while you are here. You will watch what you say to them, they have earned that respect by their ages alone. You cannot disrespect someone like that when you know you need they're help. They are so much older than you and know so much more, you are pissing away an opportunity to improve yourself, do you understand where I am comin' from?" she asked. Damn she was hot when she was fired up.

Jessica nodded.

"I need to hear you say it," she said intently and my fangs nearly dropped. In fact, I think Pam's did and she kept her mouth closed to hide it from the room. Godric realized this too and both of us flooded her with mirth, making her lips twitch and getting firm pushes in return that told us to go meet the sun.

"I understand, Sookie. I will not insult your bloodline again. I apologize, Pam, I'm sorry," Jessica said, meeting Pam's eyes bravely as she said it. Pam nodded and actually sent Sookie gratefulness. We had never been able to get Jessica to back down and grow up while she was staying with us, which was part of the reason we gave her back to Bill. We just didn't think we could get through to her without the maker's command, yet here Sookie was, proving us wrong with just one conversation.

"Pam helped you tonight. Eric found out Bill was missin' and thought of you, worried you were left alone, _concerned for you_ , so he sent Pam out to check on you and bring you back here if you were, in fact, alone," she began, laying the guilt on thick and building a foundation for me to work on later. Gods she was amazing. Pam fought extremely hard not to break character of her bored and pissed routine when she so badly wanted to smile. She was greatly entertained and extremely impressed with Sookie's technique. "It appears they were both right to be concerned, Jessica. Bill, truly, is not a good maker. He abandoned you once, tried to force you to only ever drink True Blood, didn't explain the mechanics of being turned, kept you in the dark about the call of a maker, and didn't even teach you to properly feed. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't taught you anythin' about sendin' and influencin' emotions in your bond or locatin' him with your blood either…" She trailed off when Jessica's brows furrowed, confirming for all of us that Bill had, indeed, been the world's _shittiest_ maker and highlighting the things Pam would need to focus on, even if Pam didn't realize what a favor Sookie was doing for her at the moment.

"Oh, Jessica," she sighed and reached up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. "I am sorry Bill has not been takin' his duty as a maker more seriously. He was the reason you were turned, and he was the vampire who drained you, willingly or not, so he should've acted like every other maker in the world and _gotten his shit together._ Now he isn't here and you don't know how to survive on your own. You have no support system, no job, no money, and no one to continue your training. He didn't even teach you how to respond to his call and search for his location with your blood, so you can't help him. You can't find him. Hell, you can't even send him panic if you're in danger because he taught you _jack shit_ about emotional exchange."

At this point, Jessica began to tear up. I felt for her, I really, truly did, but she _needed_ to hear all of it, everything Bill hadn't done for her so she didn't develop some twisted sense of loyalty to the man who had made her immortal and brushed her off with the dirt on his clothing when he rose with her. She needed to understand how little she had, how little he taught her, and thus how little respect he had for her, before we could begin to build her back up and give her every tool she would ever need. Sookie had realized this instantly tonight. Her fairy nature and vampiric analytical mind had come together in a rare and spectacular show of harmony for Pam, to protect her, and then Jessica, to teach her. The three emotions she started out with were still pulsing furiously, but now they weren't directed at Jessica. Now, Sookie felt possessiveness and protectiveness _for Jessica_ and pure fury for how Bill treated her.

A tear finally spilled over and slid down her cheek. Slowly, purposefully, Sookie reached up to catch it, giving Jessica a chance to react negatively if she didn't want Sookie in possession of her blood. Jessica just stared, fascinated, which was Sookie's answer. A vampire would snarl if they felt someone was about to violate their privacy, even if they didn't know what blood ingestion meant. It was just instinctive. Jessica trusted Sookie. The predator in her was showing complete faith in Sookie. She submitted to her and looked up to her _and wanted Sookie to have her blood_. At her core, Jessica believed she was safe with Sookie.

Sookie popped the blood tear in her mouth, trying not to react when all three members of her bloodline swamped her in a downpour of pride reminiscent of rainfall in a hurricane for gaining Jessica's trust, and smiled at Jessica. The baby vamp immediately smiled back. Sookie brought her finger to her fangs and pierced her own skin, showing absolutely no hesitance, emboldening Jessica to follow her instincts and drink, then offered the drop to Jessica. Hesitantly, Jessica wrapped her lips around Sookie's finger and drank. She moaned at the taste, but surprisingly, did not react in any other way, which had Godric and I staring at each other with raised eyebrows.

Whatever just happened, the link was there now, however faintly, and Sookie could keep track of both Jessica and her emotions. Hell, knowing Sookie, she would probably get a lot more use out of one or two drops than the rest of us would get with a full bond.

"Good, Jessica. _Now this is what we're gonna do,_ " she purred, causing both Pam and I to salivate with lust. Aggressiveness, fangs, and purring equaled very sexy Sookie. Godric was nearly overflowing with mirth because of our emotions. Sookie didn't react, she was still only feeling three emotions.

"We're gonna take care of you, teach you, and respect you. Eric has decided that, while you are here, Pam will sponsor you. Do you understand what that means?" Sookie asked. Jessica immediately shook her head and Pam shot me a questioning glance. She wasn't against it, she was just extremely surprised. I sent her my assent with a very big shot of confidence in her and pride in her abilities. Her lips twitched and she shot back gratitude and agreement. She would do it, she would sponsor Jessica.

"It means that Pam will take over the role as your maker until Bill comes back. She will teach you all of the things Bill did not and more. She will protect you as if you are her own blood, as if she had turned you herself. Everyone in this room will treat you like a member of this bloodline. If, at some point, you decide you want Pam to be your permanent maker, Eric has agreed to let her consider it. If you both grow on each other, Pam will accept you as her progeny, Jessica. There is a ceremony in which Pam can take over and you will have a bond with her. Your bond with Bill will simply fizzle away. You don't have to decide anythin' about that tonight, or even this month. Just treat her with respect. Treat everyone here with respect. In return, we will treat you the same and more. We will protect you. I will treat you as if you are a member of my bloodline, _and no one insults my bloodline in front of me_ ," she purred, explaining to Jessica she would protect her in exactly the same way she had protected Pam.

We could all see the eagerness in Jessica's eyes as she heard that statement. She wanted that, Sookie's protection and her respect. In fact, I didn't think even human blood would've distracted her in that moment. She wanted to please Sookie more than anything. That one look gave me pause and had me wondering if a newborn vamp could properly be a sponsored maker to another one. I'd have to discuss it with Godric, who might think I was idiotic for even considering it. "Is this acceptable to you, Jessica?" Sookie finished, but asked the most important thing since Jessica walked in the door.

Sookie barely finished speaking when Jessica said, "Yes, yes it is," in a frenzied rush.

"I'm glad, I really am. I would _love_ to have someone with your potential in my bloodline, so I hope you take to us all well," Sookie confessed honestly and retracted her fangs. Fairy Sookie hadn't disappeared this time, so as soon as Sookie brought down her levels of rage, her emotions came flooding back, and she was full of joy and excitement, appreciation for the baby vamp in front of her, eagerness to add someone to the bloodline, and relief that Jessica had agreed to Pam's sponsorship. Jessica, who could now slightly feel Sookie's emotions thanks to the blood tear, stared at her with both shock and awe. We could all tell just by her face that Jessica had _never_ felt such positive emotions directed towards her before. She launched herself at Sookie again, wrapping herself up in Sookie's arms.

Another blood tear slipped down her cheek as she whispered, "Thank you, Sookie. Thank you for making me put things into perspective, for actually _teaching_ me, and thank you for letting me feel this- this- whatever the hell it is I'm feeling from you."

Sookie laughed and patted her back. "You're welcome, Jess. Stick around and you'll discover a much more positive side to life as a vampire than you have experienced up until this point."

Jessica nodded and smiled before finally releasing her. Godric stepped up and approached them. He reached out a hand to Jessica, who grabbed his hand in return. He pulled it closer to him and gently brought his other hand up to pat it as he introduced himself, "Jessica, I'm Sookie and Eric's maker, Godric. I'm very glad you have chosen to let Pam sponsor you. Let's get you some donor blood and talk a bit about what happened tonight."

She nodded gratefully, more than ready for a drink and a moment to process.


	13. Chapter 13: What Makes Us Kin

_**A/N:**_

 _As your writer, I command you... to not be too disappointed with the length of this chapter. There's very few natural breaks in my story since I wrote it all in Microsoft Word and I was torn between a shorter chap and a ridiculously long one._

 _Guess which I chose._

 _So this chapter's nice and light. After this, we're leaving Fangtasia and embarking on a magical carpet ride.-Crap! Wrong story. Let me just put the genie in the bottle and Eric will rub you the right way.- We'll be visiting Pam and Eric's house! Anybody ever wonder what type of place they would've lived in on True Blood? Because they didn't go to rest in the basement everyday... And it's not a suburb or a dilapidated plantation house. What does that leave?_

 _Heads up! I'm going off in a little bit of a different direction with our darling Pamela. I'm transitioning her into acting a little more like the SVM Pam in future chapters. You'll see what I mean. I think Pam would've ultimately liked Sookie if she weren't so indecisive with her love life._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own the characters, the plot, or anything else from True Blood or SVM. HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris do. I'm just a greedy kid who plays with their toys during recess._

* * *

Godric led Jessica off to a booth in the corner of the club to talk with her privately while Pam and I approached Sookie, both of us smiling. Pam a little more disconcertingly since it was a very fangy grin, which had Sookie giggling.

I threw my arm over her shoulders again, I had a serious craving to touch her, while I listened to Pam purr, "Sookie, Eric was right. _You are a very delicious predator._ "

Sookie ignored the sexual undertone while I smirked and then, with an air of amusement, she said, "I'll try to take that as a compliment, Pam."

"It was meant as one," Pam responded seriously. "Thank you for that, Sookie. I'm more than capable of handling a threat from a baby vamp, but you are still the only one other than Eric who has ever done something like that before, who stood up for me like that and offered protection. And you did it unconditionally. I insulted you and you turned around and challenged someone who insulted me. I apologize. I truly regret it."

I flooded Pam with pride and she basked in it, not really having felt such positive emotions from me for a month now. I sent a healthy dose to Sookie too. Pam had truly resented Sookie when she returned with Jessica, and after five minutes, Sookie was already winning Pam over.

Sookie then did what she was so fucking great at doing and reached out through our tie, down into my bond with Pam, and stroked her tie with Pam, sending her the same amazing caress she had sent me at the very beginning of the night. Pam purred. Loudly.

"Thank you, Pam," she said while still caressing my progeny, "but you could probably fire a rocket at me and I would turn around and still protect you with my life."

Pam froze, the purr dying in her throat. She threw her tie with Sookie under a microscope and analyzed it, stunned again when Sookie opened it wider, wanting her to find what Pam was searching for, the truth of her statement in her blood.

Her head shot up when she found it and she studied Sookie in wonder, completely baffled that Sookie could be so unselfish when Pam had been nothing but awful to her since the night they met.

"Why, Sookie? Why would you turn around and protect me even if I were to do that to you?" she asked, trying her best to understand.

"You are blood of my blood now, Pam. Godric's blood now runs through me, the same that runs through Eric and, in turn, you. The lessons I'm learnin' from my maker, the lessons I have already learned, have been taught to Eric, who then taught them to you. We are being raised, trained, on the same principles. Now that Godric has decided we will remain in the area, we'll face the same threats, deal with the same challenges, and experience the same joys in our nightlife. That makes us family, that makes us kin, and probably more connected than I ever was with my human family, and family _do_ for each other," she said, her convictions beating strongly through the bond and trickling into her small tie with Pam.

" _Do_ what?" Pam asked, desperately wanting to know, in an almost childlike voice.

"Anything and everything, we do anything and everything for family," Sookie responded in a hushed tone. She sent us both affection and stroked Pam into purring again as she walked off to join Jessica and Godric.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" I asked her, my eyes still trailing Sookie's form as she walked across the bar.

Pam nodded slowly, not even consciously agreeing as she thought about what Sookie had just said to her, she then cleared her throat and said, "I think I may even be in love with her."

My head whipped towards her and possessiveness ignited in my blood, a small, warning growl erupting from my throat without me even thinking through what she said. The message was clear though: _mine._

Pam laughed and sent me her extreme mirth and explained, "I was _kidding_ , Eric. You know I don't do deep emotions. But speaking of emotions, what the hell did Sookie do with the bond? I've never felt anything like that before."

My lips involuntarily kicked up, but I answered in a dead serious voice when I said, "Positive reinforcement. Just pray you never get a punishment."

Pam considered my words and shivered a little, obviously assuming if Sookie had that much control over her blood, she could potentially use it painfully in punishment. Her punishments were painful, but not physically. They were psychologically painful. I wanted to shiver myself when I thought about her ripping away our tie and directing her predator towards me. Pam felt me reminiscing and its correlating emotions and even more wariness flooded the bond.

I didn't bother to correct her. Maybe it would give her more pause before pissing Vampire Sookie off.

All I saw to that were benefits and no downsides.

We slid into the booth, me sitting next to Sookie, Jessica in the curve of the booth between her and Godric, and Pam topping off our arrangement of bookends on the other side of my maker.

"You know, I really think I might enjoy Vampire Sookie better than Human Sookie," Pam speculated contemplatively.

Sookie snorted, pushing Pam her mirth and disbelief, and said, "You never had a chance to meet Human Sookie. Compton was already tryin' to douse any fire I had inside me with his blood and forcin' compliance on me the first night you and I met."

Pam and Jessica's fangs dropped, both feeling murderous and protective, which was interesting to see from Pam. I wasn't really surprised by Jessica's instincts though, she already felt like Sookie was both her mother and her sister, two of the three components of how Sookie should appear to her if she was Jessica's maker, another thought that gave me pause. She was younger than Jessica blood-wise, but around eight years older than her in actual years. Did either of that matter when Jessica responded to her so well though?

"He did what?!" Pam snarled, feeling deeply disturbed by Sookie's revelation. "Was he trying to drug you with blood, Sookie?"

I nodded and Godric answered for her so she didn't have to repeat anything traumatic, "He was sent to procure her for your Queen. By the time Sookie had come to Fangtasia, Bill had already flooded her body with his blood and was suppressing emotions and creating new ones. The night they met, he offered her blood that drainers had drawn from his body in an attempt to _repay_ her for saving him from them. When she refused, he glamoured the drainers, arranged a meeting with Sookie the next night, and showed up late so the scum had time to beat her within an inch of death before he stepped in and 'saved' her, forcing an enormous quantity on her to control her. He unnecessarily killed them so Sookie could not read their glamoured state telepathically."

Jessica hissed and shot her hand out to give Sookie's a firm squeeze and Pam growled.

"So I didn't know him at all then," Jessica stated sadly. "I thought he truly loved you. I know our bond felt physically warm whenever he said your name, but you can't do that to someone you love. You can't turn them into a slave and call it love and fate."

His fate was to meet the end of one of my stakes.

Godric and Sookie shot me mirth and Pam snickered, so obviously my blood had declared my feelings for me, again. I grinned, I couldn't help it. Even I found that funny.

"I knew he needed to be ended when I met him in San Francisco," Pam grumbled. Godric and I stared at Pam in shock, not quite believing she had brought up something so closely related to her turning. Pam really had to have confidence and trust in Sookie and Jessica to share something like that. She shifted uncomfortably for a second before sending a push that said, " _What_?"

Our eyes immediately wandered elsewhere, with small smiles on our faces, while Sookie and Jessica both ineloquently asked, "Huh?"

Pam sighed, but still shocked us again when she admitted, "When I was human, I was the madam in a brothel in San Francisco. Two vampires had been frequenting my girls and spending hours taunting, raping, and draining them every night. They glamoured us into submission, so we couldn't ask for help, but forced us to remember… Every. Single. Detail. It was only by a stroke of luck that Eric became intrigued with me one night. He was an enforcer in the area and forced them to move on and pay me for damages. The vampires were Compton and his maker, some bitch named Lorena."

Jessica shuddered with disgust and Sookie's hand shot up over her mouth, she literally felt nauseated.

"Cheese and rice," she whimpered. "He really was a _rapist._ "

She suddenly found herself flooded by support, protectiveness, affection, tenderness, a little remorse from Pam, and security. Even Jessica attempted to send her strength, though I think she did it unknowingly. Sookie started purring, overwhelmed and yet greedy for more of the intensely positive emotions. Jessica, who apparently had never heard a vampire purr before tonight, started laughing hysterically. We all smiled at the baby vamp, chuckling a little too.

When everyone settled down, Jessica brought up what they had discovered at the source of the maker's call, quickly summarizing everything they saw, before she innocently added, "Plus they had some weird brands, kind of like Swastikas, but not quite."

Godric's eyes met mine before pointedly looking at Sookie and back to me before tapping his head, making it look like he was scratching an itch.

Vampires didn't itch.

I got the message and tugged on my tie with Sookie, getting her attention. She looked up at me and I smoothly, making it look oh so natural, leaned over and started nuzzling her neck so our skin was touching, in order to broadcast to her more clearly, while I thought at her, _does the brand Jessica remembers look like this?_ I then sent her a snapshot of a memory in which I examined the brand on a female werewolf. She hummed deliciously, "Mmmhmm," as her blood cried out with a vocal "Yes." Pam assumed it was an erotic, "Yes."

I wished.

I mean I desperately wished.

Which Sookie read straight from my thoughts since I had still been thinking in English while touching a telepath, like an idiot.

She giggled and sent me a shot of lust. I growled and my fangs dropped. Then I froze. I desperately wanted to pull back and look into her eyes at that moment and try to understand what she had been thinking by pushing that to me. Was it assent? Did she want me to take her home right now (because I would, _I_ _definitely would_ ) and let her shoot me with lust until dawn? Was that another reward, maybe for the nuzzling? Or a punishment for the nuzzling, _in public_? I knew I could probably find out by thinking at her, but I was still a little afraid of rejection, which was something I shielded from everyone connected to me.

I still had questions to ask her though, because I finally had another lead for the first time in fifty years for a vendetta I had against someone who murdered my human family. So I resumed my ministrations, this time with fangs since it would alert Pam something was up if I just as suddenly retracted them, and placed an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. I brought my mouth to her ear and nibbled it before gently sucking her lobe into my mouth as I thought, _Were they wearing jackets with patches?_ Her blood confirmed this again. I slid my way back to her neck and ran my fangs along her jugular next, _Can you show them to me?_ Her blood answered yes again, while sending me a very strong push, _later_. I assumed she needed to look me in the eyes while pushing glamour at me so I didn't fight her on it. Instead, I retracted my fangs and moved to her shoulder while I slid my hand to her thigh and gently bit her shoulder with blunt teeth. She whimpered. I placed a tender kiss on it, then pulled back smiling, pretending I was listening to the last emotional push she sent me and looked back at everyone at around the table.

Their reactions were varying levels of hilarious. All of them had stopped speaking and were looking at us. Jessica looked like she didn't know whether to avert her eyes or keep watching, horrified, like someone driving past a car wreck. Godric was feeling oddly triumphant and grinning like a Cheshire cat again, and Pam looked very turned on. She shot me a fangy grin. I chuckled ruefully.

"Oh, I _like_ Vampire Sookie _, I definitely like_ ," Pam purred. Godric chuckled and shot us mirth, and Jessica made a noise that sounded like she might be the first vampire to ever choke.

"Oh lighten up, Jess," Sookie said with a dangerously wicked tone, which had both my eyebrow and another part of me lifting _up_ , when she added, "Vampirism is a lot more fun if you give in sometimes and trust your _instincts._ "

Well that just sounded like a challenge. Trust my… trust my instincts?

I slid my hands back into her hair and kissed her like she was a glass of water and I was a thirsty man. When I pulled back, I raised my eyebrows and whispered, "Instinctive enough for you, lover?"

My lips twitched when she shivered again involuntarily and her lust shot up, at which point nobody else could take anymore and they burst into laughter. I grinned at a very lust-filled Sookie while they laughed long, hard body-shaking laughs.

"I wasn't talkin' about you, Eric," she explained when everyone quieted down a little. "I was talking to Jessica about her instinct _to laugh_."

While I felt like an idiot, because I was one, everyone burst out in laughter all over again. I'm pretty sure I was shot affection by everyone though. And I purred.

"Well, as hilarious as that was, and it was, so thank you, Eric. We need to be heading out for the night before dawn takes us, it's getting early," Godric pointed out. There was still about two hours or so before sunrise, but everyone needed a little time to themselves before going to day rest, so I nodded in agreement.

Pam quickly shot over to her things at vamp speed, slinging her bag over her shoulder, picking up the file she was holding when she returned to the club, and stopping at the table to collect the things Jessica brought in too (vamp strength was great). She shot back to us, handed the duffle bag over to Jessica, and gave me the file, and held up the laptop and discs while she said, "This needs to be locked up in the safe back at the house."

I raised my eyebrow in question and waiting for the explanation that was coming.

"Jessica was kind enough to point out where Bill kept his equipment," she said meaningfully.

"Great," I said in a bored tone, not revealing my intense curiosity and intrigue. "We'll deal with it when we rise tomorrow."

Pam nodded and guided Jessica out the employee's door towards our cars. Godric and Sookie followed at a leisurely place while I vamped around shutting off lights and locking things up. I had cleaned up most of the club earlier tonight when Sookie had needed a moment to gather her control, so everything else was ready for the staff tomorrow night. Sookie and Godric slid out the door and I locked it behind us.

"Pam?" I called out. She turned to me with a questioning look. "Will you take my Corvette back for me with Jessica? I'm going to drive Godric's rental to the safe house. We'll leave your van here overnight and I'll have Bobby drive it back for you during the day."

No way in hell would my dayman ever drive my precious 'vette. No way in hell.

She nodded and reached up with vampire reflexes when I tossed my keys at her, then walked over to my car with Jessica, popped open the trunk, and put their things inside. I turned back to look at what Godric had rented and felt my eyebrows shoot to my hairline.

" _A Jeep,_ Godric?" I asked, incredulous. My tie with Sookie suddenly became defensive and Godric was full of mirth.

"It was Sookie's choice. She's probably going to be driving it more than me," Godric said, pointedly. Ah, yes. Because Sookie was a day-walker. Apparently, she wanted a vehicle that allowed her to feel the sun on her skin. I probably would want that as well, but I would've gone with a convertible if that were the case.

Sookie must've picked up on my thoughts because she added, "I live in Bon Temps, Eric. It's not like the roads are exactly paved for luxury cars. This baby here won't get all banged up if I hit a pothole in town, or _in_ _my driveway."_ She finished this with a caress to the baby blue Wrangler.

Now I was jealous of a car.

"True," I said as Godric unlocked it and tossed me the keys. "If I hadn't had the gravel in your driveway filled in," I added as we climbed in, Godric in the front and Sookie in the backseat behind me. Irritation flared in Sookie's veins with my statement and Godric chuckled while tsking me.

"You did what now?" she asked in a dangerous type of voice. I knew this would happen when I told her, which is why I put it off until now, purposefully not telling her when I brought up the damage to her house earlier.

"When we negotiated the amount I owed you for going to Dallas," I began carefully while I started the Jeep, watching with envy as Pam and Jessica pulled out in my own car first, "you mentioned you needed a new driveway. Since you died there, I decided to put the money I owed you towards what you said you wanted. Since I had to send out a crew to take care of all the damage the maenad caused, I had them take care of the gravel too." I braced myself for her scolding. I knew Sookie hated owing people and her blood told me how furiously independent she was. I didn't fool myself into thinking she'd be grateful.

She seemed to be having an internal debate, irritation flaring then subsiding. Finally, as I pulled out of the Fangtasia lot and onto the road, I felt acceptance. Then, surprising me once again, she _did_ send me gratefulness. I sent her my shock and then my amusement and a little bit of confusion.

"Thank you," she said. "I mean thank you for usin' my money for what I wanted instead of doin' it with your own. I hate owing people and you were just givin' me what you owed me, so thank you for that."

I nodded, my lips starting to form a small grin. My face fell when she added, "I'm pissed about everythin' you did after the maenad though, but after seeing the damage in your thoughts, I highly doubt I'll ever have the money to pay you back for that."

Godric turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, as mischief started building in his blood, and said, "Remember what we discussed about your finances? The compromise we made? You should have more than enough to pay Eric back by now."

When he settled back in his seat, he shot me an irritating grin. I glared. I didn't want paid back, I had more than enough money of my own and I wanted to spend it on the people in my life I felt deserved it. He knew how I felt and he was having fun at my expense.

"Oh, yeah. Pfft, back for one night and I completely forget I have money at all," she chuckled to herself and rolled her eyes.

"Let me guess," I grumbled. "She let you set up some accounts but made you start with a balance of zero, that way any amount she earned from any profits or interest on the shares you gave her didn't come directly from your own pockets."

Their combined mirth was my answer.

I sighed and said, "Fine, because I know you won't just accept it and call it a gift, I will accept repayment." I paused for a second to think about what to do with Sookie's money, then an idea occurred to me and I added, "I'll just put it into a trust fund for Jessica." Godric smiled and sent me pride for my improvised idea and Sookie must've really liked it as well because she sent me affection and gave me another tantalizing caress.

"Do that again, Sookie, and you may not have a Jeep to drive tomorrow," I warned. Was she trying to get me to crash? Of course, she and Godric just laughed at my completely serious warning.


	14. Chapter 14: Accept It

_**A/N:**_

 _Because my reviewers are so freaking awesome, I'll do my best to make upcoming chapters a little longer. Maybe that'll make up for the shorter one before this? Forgive me?_

 _For those of you clever readers who noticed Pam had a laptop from Bill's place- Why yes, I did take an idea from SVM to give our favorite vampires another reason to hunt down Bill. I may have added a twist to it though. You'll find out what next chapter._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _True Blood and SVM are owned by Alan Ball, HBO, and Charlaine Harris. I do not own the characters or plots. I just borrowed their Viking and let him pillage my muse._

* * *

 ** _SPOV_**

Pam and Eric's house threw me for a loop. It wasn't like I had expected some gloomy mansion in New Orleans or another deteriorated Southern home like Bill's, more like I was expecting a penthouse somewhere or something only the glamourous lived in. Instead, Eric had driven us to the outskirts of Shreveport, on the way out of the city and in the direction of Monroe and Bon Temps and pulled through a pair of gates and up to an isolated cabin. It was a beautiful cabin, but still a cabin, with floor to ceiling windows, two stories, and a large garage. The driveway was also paved and there was manicured yardwork. I was pretty sure there would be a pool in back too, which had me tempted to sunbathe after everyone went to sleep.

"You're surprised," Eric stated, analyzing my emotions as he parked in front of the wraparound porch. I guess the garage was reserved for the Corvette. Godric glanced back at me with a smile, knowing what I expected. "Why?"

"I guess I just expected somethin' different. This is so _Viking_ so it makes sense," I said carefully.

"Like a haunted mansion?" he snickered.

"More like a penthouse," I said and sent him my mirth.

Understanding filled him while Godric chuckled and Eric said, "Oh." His lips twitched as he shut the engine off and pulled the keys out of the ignition, passing them to me over his shoulder, and added, "We have one of those too." He hopped out of the car, after releasing the latch to the back, and flooded me with mirth as I sat there wide-eyed.

"You do?" I asked as I slipped out after him and met up with him behind the car, pulling out a couple bags. He had piled mostly everything I brought up in his arms and Godric had gotten the rest, so I was basically holding my purse and a bag full of books and magazines (my carry-on from the plane trip).

"We have several, Sookie. There's one in downtown Shreveport, but we usually reserve it for guests. The rest are scattered all over the world. Godric also has a bunch, and so do you, since you're his progeny," he explained as he walked with me to the door, stuck his hand out to type in a code on a numerical pad by the frame, turned the doorbell sideways, revealing a finger pad scanner, and scanned his thumb. Vampires were so James Bond. A little thrill of excitement shot through me any time I discovered a new hidden techy item. I made it a game with myself to try and figure out where things like that would be. Both Godric's and Eric's lips kicked up when they felt my thrill as Eric pushed the door open.

I didn't follow them in though. I could feel two minds approaching and I knew Pam and Jessica were pulling up. Since Eric drove like a maniac, we had passed them quickly and arrived first. I backtracked and waited while they pulled into the garage and slipped out. Pam gave me a fangy grin as she climbed the porch and walked past me while Jessica came to a stop, she could feel that I wanted to talk to her.

"Jess, most vampires aren't like Bill," I said carefully. "They keep they're restin' places hidden from everyone and often glamour the memory of it out of anyone who comes over. Will you give me your word you won't tell anyone where this is?" Even though it was just me and Jessica outside, I was suddenly flooded with gratitude by Eric and Pam, who were obviously listening to what we were saying.

Jessica nodded seriously, realizing that I meant it, and said, "I give you my word, Sookie. I won't tell anyone."

I nodded and thanked her while I smiled and patted her shoulder before we both turned to head inside. Godric sent me pride as I came to a stop next to him and took a look around. We were standing in the living room, which overlooked the porch with huge two-story floor-to-ceiling windows. The inside was loft-style, with a staircase leading up to the second floor. I assumed any offices and guestrooms were upstairs. Downstairs, there was a small kitchen (with a refrigerator and a microwave for blood), separated from a dining area by a breakfast bar, a couple of bedrooms off to the side and what looked like an art studio and a wood-carving craft room combined (if I had to take a wild guess, it'd be that Pam dug art and Eric was still the typical Viking). The décor was a combination of Eric and Pam, using dark colors and cherry wood with green and brown accents and yet had pastels and cream colors slipped in to break up any chance of it looking gloomy. It totally worked and it was gorgeous.

I really liked it, so I pushed that to Eric and Pam, who cracked small smiles and flooded me with gratitude all over again. Eric walked over to a big, antique looking wooden cabinet, twisted a wooden knot, pushed a hidden button, and opened it, revealing a false back that he pushed open to show us a staircase. We followed him down into a subterranean level that mirrored the upstairs in style, explaining why I didn't see any light-tight shutters upstairs. The stairs led to a common area with comfy looking sofas, a coffee table that looked hand-made, and a large flat-screen before it broke off into two large hallways, one leading to Pam and Eric's rooms and a large office, another leading to guest bedrooms. Off of the common area was what could only be considered a breakfast nook, or could I get away with calling it a blood nook?

"We only have two guest rooms," Eric started, but I cut him off.

"Godric and I rest together anyways, so we'll share," I volunteered casually, earning me raised eyebrows from Pam, to which I shook my head (I knew what she had assumed), making Eric and Godric laugh. I think Pam's eyebrows rose even higher when she realized I did not have sex with my maker, yet still slept in the same bed. What? I liked to cuddle. And I might have pushed that to them, earning me snickers.

"Okay, _cuddle bunny_ , I need to lock this stuff up and then I'm changing before you tell me exactly how all this," she pointed a finger towards me and indicated "this" meant _me_ from head-to-toe, "all happened exactly." Eric's curiosity rose and Jessica wanted to know as well. I hadn't even realized we didn't actually tell Eric what happened at the Fellowship, just kind of glossing over it. I pushed an emotional "Okay" towards her, earning me another smile before she whipped around and sped over to the office.

Eric then led Godric over to one of the guest rooms and stuck our stuff inside before pointing Jessica to her own room. I sat down on a couch and tucked my two bags next to my feet while I waited for Pam, and was quickly joined by Eric, Jess, and Godric.

"Jess, do you need a True Blood or anything?" I asked. She'd had a drink earlier with Godric, but I didn't know if she'd really had much after the incident at Bill's and all the emotions she must've experienced would've negated the benefits the human blood had on her well-being. I could sense gratefulness coming from her as she nodded and I turned a questioning glance towards Eric, who just nodded and pointed at the blood nook. I stood up, with Jess trailing behind me, and went over to the fridge, pulling out my own B negative while I shot a raised eyebrow at her.

"Whatever. I don't really like any of them and mix them all together to get something that tastes somewhat okay," she said.

Man, I felt bad. She couldn't even tolerate True Blood and Bill was forcing her to drink it constantly. No wonder her bloodlust got the better of her and she drained someone. I nodded at her, paused for a second to think, then grabbed a bottle of the AB positive.

"Well, AB is the universal receiver, anybody can donate to someone with an AB blood type, so it's like it has a little part of every type of blood in it," I said as I shut the fridge and stuck the bottles on the counter next to the microwave. I popped off the lids while I added, "Hopefully it's a smidgeon better than the rest."

She grimaced anyways. Feeling awful, I wished to myself I could improve the taste for her. Why couldn't the Fae have created True Blood? That thought gave me an idea and I gave her a smile that said I was up to no good. She stared at me as she felt the mischief running through my veins and crinkled her brows. I turned my body towards her a little so she could see what I was doing and raised my finger to my mouth and dropped my fangs. Her eyes widened as I pierced it and brought my finger over to the bottle of AB and squeezed a few drops. I then screwed the lid back on, shook it all up, uncapped it again, and stuck both bottles in the microwave. Having felt my mischief and smelled my blood, Godric knew what I had done and flooded me with mirth. From Eric, I sensed jealousy. Apparently he enjoyed my blood, even if I was a vampire.

Jessica smiled when I winked at her, completely blown away that I just bit myself to spice up her nasty True blood. Our tie was full of awe and thankfulness, and hilarity at my antics.

"Thanks, Sookie," she said sweetly and I flashed her another smile in response. We fell into silence for about five seconds before Jessica asked, randomly, "Did you really mean it, Sookie?" I wasn't really sure what she was talking about at this point so I gave her a quizzical look. "What you said to Pam, tonight? About family? About kin?" she clarified.

I should've known Jessica would've been listening when I spoke to Pam. She was worried about Pam and Eric, still afraid of punishment from the sheriff and how Pam would react to Jessica's earlier insult. I nodded vehemently. I had meant every word.

"I want to be your family. I want to be your kin," Jessica said intently. I could literally _feel_ how much she wanted it in her blood. She wanted nothing more in the entire world. My heart squeezed with love for this baby vamp, flowing through my ties and stunning my bloodline with the pure emotion. Nora was shocked, as she had been for much of the night, and both Pam and Eric reached out to stroke it, making me shiver. I slapped their mental hands away and mirth erupted, sprinkling laughter across all of our connections.

While this was happening, I registered Eric shooting Godric a look and how he felt in the tie. He felt vindicated, like Jessica had stated something he had been considering and just confirmed it for him. It confused me, but I focused on Jessica, my priority at the moment.

"You're already in the process, Jess. Everythin' I said to Pam, applies to you. Since Pam's sponsoring you, you're about to be trained on the same principles and ideas that Godric is training me, that he trained Eric with, who trained Pam, who will train you. Jess, you'll be a fundamental part of my life for as long as you wanna be part of it. Just like I told Pam, we'll share the same challenges, face the same threats, and share the same joys in our nightlife. The only difference right now is the blood, but that will also change if you and Pam so wish it. In my mind, we're already kin," I said. I removed the blood from the microwave, capped and shook them to distribute the heat, and handed her the AB bottle as I pushed that same belief through our miniscule tie. It was really, really hard to do with so little of my blood in her.

But what she felt, she relished.

"I want that blood connection. I want to be more connected to you," she said firmly, with absolutely no doubts. Eric shot Godric another look with that damned raised eyebrow and tugged on their bond a little too. I suddenly found that eyebrow extremely irritating and sent it to him. He chuckled, then smirked, and sent me a push that felt like a pat on the cheek.

Arrogant bastard.

He smirked wider. Damn it. Sometimes my blood could be too vocal.

"I really think you should spend more time with Pam before you make that decision," I said while I shot a glare at Eric. The fact that Jessica _wanted_ to be part of my bloodline was great and truly pleased me, but she needed to see if being Pam's progeny fit well first. I turned back to look at Jess and added, rationally, "You've had an extremely emotional night, everythin' in your life has changed, and I think you need more time to adjust. I want you to do what's best for _you_ , and that means takin' the time to consider everything takin' Pam as a maker means. Give it time, okay?"

Jess nodded and walked back to the couches, thinking. Now Godric's eyebrow had shot up. Urgh! I may have sent them an emotional growl and shook a mental fist at their eyebrows instead of scaring the ever-loving shit out of Jessica. Both sets of eyebrows flew up and laughter erupted all around.

Fuck it.

"What the hell was that?" Pam asked as she walked back in to the room sans dominatrix outfit and dressed up in pastels, looking more like a nanny. "It felt like all my connections just vibrated. It was kinda hot."

I situated myself between Eric and Godric, resting my head on my maker's shoulder as he snatched up my hand while Eric explained, "Not really sure. I _think_ Sookie just growled at me and Godric with her blood. Apparently our… eyebrows… irritated her."

Hilarity wrapped around me from all sides as I nodded. Pam actually broke into true laughter, the most I'd heard before was a chuckle, and Jessica giggled. "Both your all eyebrows pissed me off. Jess and I were talkin' about something serious," I stated with a shrug. "I also shook a mental fist at them, but since none of ya can read minds, you must've missed it."

Mirth exploded like confetti in my veins all over again with this comment, but everyone quickly settled down when Pam dropped down next to Jessica and asked, "Can _you_ still read minds, Sookie?"

I shielded everything my blood had to say as I shook my head no. Eric was the only vampire in the world cleared to know that. I then proceeded to sprinkle my order of lie on a bun with a topping of truth, "Just feel emotions sometimes. I guess I'm more empathic now than telepathic. Though, I sometimes feel vampire emotions too, which is new."

Surprise shot through Pam and Eric, but for two very different reasons while Godric pushed me support. Pam was surprised I'd lost my ability but could pick up emotions from vampires. Eric was surprised we had told her I could do anything at all, but this was the cover story Godric and I had decided upon and I'd been using it since the night I rose. I was sure Godric was sending Eric some shielded emotions right now, but I wasn't worried. Godric turned and kissed my forehead, I was still resting on him so he barely moved, squeezed my hand, and said, "You wanted to know what happened at the Fellowship?"

When everyone nodded, Godric and I alternated telling them everything that happened since I had left the hotel. We had to take a brief moment when Eric dropped fang at the news Hugo was a traitor, which didn't matter anymore since the Fellowship had him.

"I still have to tell Isabel, simply for the fact Hugo could get free or they could send him back in for more information," Eric pointed out.

"No you don't," I said, choosing my words carefully, "When Godric was teaching me to track, we used Fellowship members as my prey. Hugo was killed by the Fellowship. They took him out back and killed him, pissed Godric made it free and Gabe died. Let it rest, she doesn't need to feel the sting of being betrayed by the one she loved."

The truth was, I dug that out of one of their minds while practicing tracking, so I was very vague on everything I told them about how I came to know that. Eric sent me understanding, so he got it, and we quickly continued summarizing the rest.

"You chose this?" Pam asked, surprised. "You chose to be turned, Sookie?"

I nodded and smiled as I said, "I did. I'm glad I did, too. I'll get to see my family again because of my choice. I also get to add even more to my family. It's just been Jason and me since Gran died, now I get to add my bloodline to my family tree."

Tenderness and affection caressed me from all sides with my answer. I was purring before I could stop myself. Godric lifted his arm and tucked me against him, with a squeeze, and added to it all by sending me familial love.

"How's the True Blood, Jess?" I asked. Throughout the talk, I had been slowly gaining more feeling from her. The blood retained some emotional magic if it was ingested within 24 hours of leaving the body of a vampire, though it was only a drop or two so it was still an incredibly small tie. Amusement danced around my ties when I asked.

"Much better than normal," she confessed. Pam's eyebrow shot up so Jess added, "Sookie added a drop or two to it, since it's so nasty." Pam nodded, not showing how much her amusement had grown with the comment. Jessica yawned after she spoke, which concerned me, so I delved into the tie we had and realized she was already feeling the pull of the sun. There was only about an hour and fifteen minutes since sunrise and most baby vamps crashed out well before then.

"Jess, why don't you go to bed, you're feeling the sun's pull?" I asked.

"How are _you_ not feeling it, Sookie? I thought you were younger than Jessica. You should be exhausted," Pam pointed out with her eyebrows furrowed.

Blood shields went up left and right around the room and Godric was quick to answer for me, "One of Sookie's gifts is being able to stay awake until after the sunrise."

Pam's mouth dropped open and jealousy flared high in the tie. She was still too young to do that without the bleeds. Jessica felt envious and curious, but too tired to ask about anything. She stood up, gave us a tired wave, and trudged off to bed. Pam was outright glaring at me and asked in a low and dangerous voice, "Can you fly too?"

I shrugged. We hadn't gotten around to testing that yet because I had so many, many other gifts to fiddle around with. Her eyes just narrowed at me so I said, "I dunno, we haven't tested for it yet."

"Well, you're stronger than Jessica and you can stay up later than most vampires, so I guess it's probably not likely," she reasoned. Normally she'd be right, most vampires would only have one or two gifts, but I was not like most vampires.

I could feel Godric deliberating the pros and cons of telling Pam about my early rising. It _would_ help explain things some. Finally, he came to a decision and pushed a request towards Eric who immediately started thrumming with anticipation and sent back a _yes_. He then pushed his own request and got the same answer. Glee joined his anticipation when he got it.

"Pam, as your maker I command you never to speak about what I'm going to tell you with anyone not in this room," Eric threw out there in one breath. The command settled and Pam tensed, wide-eyed. He then smiled wickedly and said, "Sookie rose a night early."

"Son of a bitch!" she cursed and Eric's glee doubled. "It's entirely possible you can fly then, isn't it?" I didn't need to answer, my blood did for me. "I have to say, Sookie, I never thought you'd be that accepting of being turned."

I shrugged and said, "I probably wouldn't have been if I weren't dying. Once I said yes though, I threw myself open to all the possibilities." Godric squeezed my shoulder as I spoke. "Ya know, now would be a better time to go through the stuff you found at Bill's. Jessica's dead for the day."

She nodded and vamped out to get the laptop and discs, gone for all of a second. She then settled at the counter in the blood nook and began plugging things in. As she loaded the laptop, Eric pulled on our tie. I looked over at him to see he was scratching his head, pointlessly since vampires didn't itch. Realizing he wanted me to read him, I opened up my shields.

 _Can you show me the jackets and patches while she does this?_ he thought at me. I nodded and pushed my mind towards him. Telepathy was already a type of pulling, as in pulling of information, and when I added the push to it, I could use them together to transmit thoughts or completely immerse myself in their memories. I then ran through everything Jess had seen at the car wreck. When I finished, I pushed my own thought at him, _do you recognize where the patches originate from?_

He nodded slightly, not drawing any attention to himself, and sent back, _it looks like the "Fuck You Crew" from Jackson._

I desperately wanted to snicker at the name.

 _Why is this important to you? You didn't feel this curious about Compton's disappearance and the Queen said to "let him rot,"_ I asked.

I got an answer but it wasn't the one I was expecting. He shut down completely on me. All of his emotions completely disappeared. He didn't cut off our tie, but he shielded himself. I didn't know if he was doing it to Godric and Pam too, but they hadn't noticed if he did. My eyes narrowed and I twitched. I didn't like it when information was kept from me on purpose. It felt too much like manipulation.

 _Don't, Eric. Let me feel it._

We stared at each other for a tense moment, evaluating each other. Eric could tell I felt resolute about this, I wanted to know. I could tell he really didn't want to tell me. He was keeping the pain, and that was the only reason I could think of that would cause him to shut down on me like that, to himself. That wasn't healthy and I wasn't going to let him get away with it. He could keep me out of his emotions, but he couldn't keep me out of his memories, which was something he must've realized because he bit his lip, like this was also physically painful, and opened the tie.

Grief. Pure grief poured in. He kept his eyes on mine as he opened it wider, letting me feel it all. And it was a lot, like he'd kept this pain since he was human, harboring it for a thousand years. It was too much grief for one person to carry, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I helped him carry it.

I threw up a shield around my connection with him, so he and I would be the only ones aware of what I was doing and opened my tie as wide as I could, reached out through it and embraced all of the grief he was feeling and sent the only emotion back that would help him, acceptance. No pity, no sympathy, just pure acceptance.

His eyes widened but he showed no other reaction, on the outside anyways. On the inside, he was a shocked mess. He couldn't believe I was willingly taking on his grief. He hadn't sent it to me, I reached out and opened that floodgate myself. He was bewildered, stunned, touched, panicked, full of affection, and feeling overwhelmed. I just held open our connection in response, embraced that grief, and maintained the amount of acceptance I was pushing at him until the grief began to level out. He was full of so much acceptance by the end that he was able to relax. He then used one of my own moves on me and gave me an affectionate caress. It was torture because I couldn't purr since everything I had done before was shielded. Eventually, I shivered.

Godric immediately looked down at me in surprise and I just gave him a crazy smile, which had Eric's mirth exploding across all of his connections and drawing Godric's attention from me to him. Eric gave him another crazy smile and my mirth exploded. Godric looked back and forth between us and finally shook his head and sent a push to the both of us that said _I give up._

Somehow, I seriously doubted that.

"Godric, do you recognize any of this?" Pam asked, waving a hand at the screen. Godric stood up and walked over to peak at the screen while I asked Eric a different question, _Why?_

He knew what I was asking. Why do the werewolves cause you to feel grief? Why do you feel so much grief? Why?

 _You can do searches with filters, right?_ he asked. I nodded. _Search for everything that has to do with branded werewolves._

So I did. I searched, learned, and experienced a thousand years' worth of information about branded werewolves through his eyes, reaching back across time from moments where Eric and Godric had joined the S. S., hunting the master of the wolves, to the moment Eric was a Viking adolescent who lost his entire family to them. I had to watch the moment he lost everything as if I were there, felt his grief as if it were my own, and touched his dying father's hair as Eric held to him when he died. And damn it if a tear didn't slip out.

Eric reached forward with vampire reflexes to snatch it up and pop it in his mouth before anyone could notice. I was sure we fooled Pam, but I didn't think we'd fooled Godric for a second. He had kept an eye on us since the second I shivered and there was no way he didn't just see all that. I had a feeling Eric knew that too.

Eric was sitting on pins and needles while I read him. He wasn't sure what my reaction to that would be. I wasn't sure myself. What I wanted to do? Send him empathy, an ocean of it. Eric didn't want empathy though. I had just seen him at his most desperate, before and after he was turned, and he wanted to know that what I saw hadn't changed my mind about him, that I didn't see him as weak. So for the second time tonight, I did the only thing I could think of.

I evened the playing field.

I started out by pushing acceptance, to which his eyebrows rose a smidgeon, but not much. Then I started filtering in memories of my own life. I sent him the images of the night my parents died, finding out they had drowned, and the thoughts I read from them about how they had gone out for a night to get a break from me.

Eric felt it was his fault he lost his family, like he would've been able to take on all those wolves and a vampire (the wolves were enslaved with blood, it had to be a vampire) by himself if he'd just been with them when the attack began. Well, there were times when I blamed myself for my parents' death and there were definitely times when I blamed myself for Gran's death, which I transitioned the thoughts into next. I showed him how I'd found Dawn (not showing her body, but the moments before I entered her place and afterwards when I spoke to Jason) and how my brother was blamed and accused of being a serial killer, then I went onto how I turned the light on and found my cat Tina, showed him Gran and how I cleaned up her blood, before I finally moved onto Rene and him blaming me for how he "had to" murder Gran because of me, because I wasn't there for him to murder in her place. I showed him I was the one who caught the eye of a serial killer and she died for it. I showed him I could easily blame myself for the deaths of my family, too.

In the process I showed him my weakest and most desperate moments as well.

While I was replaying cleaning up the blood in the kitchen, a tear slid down _his_ cheek, which I quickly scooped up at vampire speed, evening our tie out again. I felt loved in that moment. He wasn't pushing love towards me, but I felt loved. He saw my weakest moment, a moment when my heart was literally crying out, and he cried with me. You only do that for people you love.

I didn't even realize until that tear fell that he was also experiencing my memories as if he were me.

Slowly, I faded out the memories. He didn't need to see the first life I took, so I petered them out after everything Rene said about killing Gran and me being a fangbanger. He was speechless, so we watched each other for a tense moment. Yeah, we really didn't want anything to change after people saw us at our weakest, but it's the type of thing that changes something for us all. For me, what I saw in Eric's memories definitely changed me- it made me love him even more. He was trying to right a wrong, to stop more deaths, and put his family to rest. He was keeping a vow he made a thousand years ago. All of that just made my love for him grow, but now wasn't the time and place to share that with him.

Finally, Eric pushed me acceptance. My lips twitched and I stroked him, forcing him to shiver just as I did. He tugged on our tie again and I opened my shield.

 _None of that was your fault, Sookie._

I immediately and forcefully responded with, _And none of that was_ _ **yours**_ _._

He smiled slowly and gently shook his head in disbelief, blown away by our memory exchange. Finally, I felt a level acceptance coming from him that was aimed at himself. Eric accepted it wasn't his fault. Thank the stars.

We both turned back to look at Pam and Godric, only to realize they were staring at us. Pam looked incredibly confused and Godric was wearing a shit-eating grin. Unfortunately, both Eric and I confirmed we had been up to something when they felt the " _Oh shit_ moment" in our blood simultaneously.

"Decided to join us again, then?" Godric asked with twinkling eyes. I knew we would be discussing this later.

Eric and I both just answered by giving him crazy smiles.

" _Okay_ …" Pam drawled out then muttered to herself, "This _family_ is _ass-backwards_."


	15. Chapter 15: My Fairy Nature

**_A/N:_**

 _*Sniffles*_

 _Damn Viking and his beautiful sense of honor! And yet he's so sneaky. Complicated being, ain't he?_

 _ **Disclaimer** : Alan Ball, HBO, and Charlaine Harris own everything and anything about True Blood and SVM. I own nothing. I'm just a V addict. V as in Viking._

* * *

Thankfully, Godric moved on and explained whatever it was we missed by pointing at the screen and saying, "It appears Bill Compton was creating a database. Pam asked me to take a look at some of the names to see if I recognized what the database was about. Compton was collecting the names and descriptions of vampires, entering it into this system, and linking it by bloodlines. There is also a descriptor under each entry describing anything noteworthy any vampire has accomplished and what gifts they have, their last known locations, and anything else remarkable about them. Luckily, the extent of the bloodline he has for you, Eric, is just your progeny."

I was pretty sure our brains just melted. Godric had completely nuked us with that information. _Bill Compton was the most idiotic vampire I had ever met_. Didn't he realize how dangerous it was to be gathering data on very secretive and vicious predators? And keeping it in the house around Jessica? Was he trying to kill off his progeny?

"Well, that certainly is… _useful,_ " Eric purred. He was feeling way too good about this. I stared at him in disbelief. He just shrugged at me and said, "Don't you realize all the ways we could use this, Sookie?"

"I realize all the ways we should destroy it," I said flatly. Surprise and confusion swept through the room.

"You would have us destroy it, child?" Godric asked. He wasn't being sarcastic. He generally didn't understand why I would want to trash something so powerful and valuable. As I analyzed my ties, I realized nobody around me saw the dark potential this piece of technology had.

"Yes, Godric, _destroy it,_ " I said in an incredibly dark voice, one I didn't recognize myself. A chill swept down the spines of every present member of my bloodline. My voice sounded rough, wild. It was weird because it came across as so predatory, but I wasn't in my typical predator mode. Instead of feeling nothing, I felt too much. Every emotion I had burned brighter, became so much more intense, and right now I was feeling nothing good. I felt desperate, trapped, an incredible amount of concern that felt bottomless, the furious need to protect, and betrayed by my own race. All of my ties cried out in warning all at once and then my emotions snapped shut, shocking everyone in the room. I realized with a start that if Fairy Sookie felt betrayed by vampires, then she was going to embrace another race entirely, she'd embrace the Fae.

"Child, open the bond back up," Godric demanded, not yet commanding me but expecting me to comply nonetheless.

I couldn't do it though. My emotions were a hundred times more intense than they were a moment ago. I would literally burn them, with the intensity of sunlight, if I allowed them to feel what I was feeling. I seriously doubted I could shield _every single one_ of these emotions, so the protective nature of my fairy side had slammed the door closed to protect her kin, to keep them safe. I had to follow her instinct at the moment or I would injure everyone in my bloodline. My blood hummed in agreement with me, so my vampire side agreed.

"No," I snarled warningly and shook my head forcefully as I jumped to my feet, my voice once again chilling everyone in the room.

Godric gave me a look of disbelief and repeated "No?" I'd _never_ denied an order before, and he had most certainly ordered me. I had smacked down a request earlier, but not an actual order.

"Do you remember the emotion you briefly experienced earlier tonight?" I asked, furiously avoiding Eric's gaze as I did. The intensity with which he was staring at me was overwhelming and had become even more intense when I asked Godric that question. "Do you remember how powerful it was? How strong, how pure, _how much it burned?_ I know you are hurtin' right now since I have closed the connection between us, but every emotion I am experiencing this moment is over a hundred times more intense, burns a hundred times brighter, which I hadn't thought possible. Apparently, it is and _I cannot shield them all._ It would _hurt_ you to experience what I am feelin' right now, and if I fail at every other thing in my life, this will be the one in which I am determined to succeed, _I will always protect my kin._ Leave it be."

"You should let me decide that, child," Godric said, quietly.

He really wanted to feel them that badly? FINE.

I opened up a miniscule sliver of the bond to allow one emotion through, just one, and slowly turned up the intensity. I chose to allow the need to protect, and only that need, to filter through. Since it was coming through my maker/child bond, everyone else in the bloodline would get an echo of it.

"Tell me when you've had enough," I warned and opened the gate. Immediately everyone's fangs dropped. Eric growled, Pam hissed, and Godric just stared at me, pushing overwhelming support my way. The support was _nothing_ compared to the strength of my one emotion. I dialed up the intensity and Pam whimpered. I cranked it up some more and she shut down her bond to Eric so she couldn't feel it. Eric then began to struggle, he was grabbing onto the couch with white knuckles, and beginning to tear through the fabric as he fought to stay connected.

"It's okay, Eric. Shut it," I whispered, not taking my eyes from my maker. Eric was hurting and I couldn't have that, I wanted to protect him the most. Relief swept through me when his connection closed and he slumped down into his seat, just staring at me in shock. I turned up my emotion an entire level and a blood tear slipped down Godric's cheek. My one emotion was literally beating down on him and it wasn't even close to realizing its full potential, but it was seriously wounding me to hurt them and my lip trembled.

"Stop," he gasped, realizing how much I was hurting when he saw my lip. " _Oh_ _Sookie_ , stop now."

I slammed the door again immediately and everyone took a breath and retracted their fangs.

"That was just one emotion. I have to protect my kin, Godric. _Trust_ me to do that, it is a _core part of my very nature_ ," I said quietly. My voice had a ragged edge, cut like the Rocky Mountains.

I knew that was the hint they needed. Eric and Godric understood now, they realized why I sounded predatory but wildly different than Vampire Sookie. They realized they were in the presence of a full Fae.

Godric wrapped me up in his arms and nodded, his head gently grazing the side of mine as he did, and whispered, "I understand, I understand now. I'm sorry. I understand and I'm so sorry."

"What is it you need to protect us from Sookie? That was the need to protect, but what from?" Pam breathed. She was overwhelmed and still trying to control everything she was feeling. Godric pulled back, sliding his hands to my shoulders, and nodded, letting me know without words he was ready to listen.

"Godric, why did vampires decide to reveal themselves?" I asked. I had a point, but to understand it, they would need to think like a fairy, like someone's who very core drives them to protect their loved ones. They needed to recognize all the threats they were facing.

He furrowed his brows and said, "With human technology, we were bound to be discovered. We had to reveal our race before they found evidence of us first."

"And what would've happened if they had? If they had discovered there was race of violent, blood drinking predators living among them before we developed synthetic blood?" I asked.

"They would've hunted us," Pam answered, beginning to see where I was going with this. "They would've eradicated us."

I nodded in agreement and whispered slowly, "And how would they have found us?"

"Technology," Eric murmured and rubbed a hand over his mouth as the possibilities started to occur to him.

"Yes, with technology. And what Compton developed _could_ be used as a tool, if everyone in the world had a pure heart, but they don't. If the government or the wrong monarchy or Weres or Fairies or the Fellowship of the Sun or _anybody else_ with a grudge against vampires got a hold of somethin' that traced bloodlines, revealed locations of vampires, or detailed their strengths and weaknesses, they could easily turn this program into a killin' machine. _This is not a tool, it is a weapon,"_ I stressed.

The room fell into silence as every implication of what I said sank in. The potential harm of what Compton had created was staggering. Just to drive home my point, I added, "And with how violently against the Registration Act vampires appear to be, any person caught in possession of somethin' like this would have a death sentence hangin' over them."

Pam stepped back from the laptop involuntarily, proving exactly how terrifying I found the prospect to be of keeping it anywhere near _people I loved._

"You're right," Godric said with a nod, dropping his hands from my shoulders. "This should be destroyed. It has the potential to cause an escalation to war if it fell into the wrong hands, it could aid in the genocide of the vampire race. We will destroy it."

I nearly collapsed under the overwhelming amount of relief I felt. There was hope to be found among vampires after all, they weren't so power hungry that they would risk the lives of people they loved. Not every vampire would sell each other out for the opportunity to garner more money and influence, which worked towards restoring my faith. By proving they were above that, I felt the fairy in me conceding, realizing I didn't have to be one or the other, I could be both Fae and Vampire. She loosened the reins and took a step back, rapidly decreasing the insane intensity of my emotions as she did so. When I felt them nearing a much more acceptable range, I readjusted the emotional filter I had on my most intense emotion (which completely burned away earlier) and began to open my bond again.

My emotions were still entirely too bright and powerful, but not enough to harm my blood kin. Slowly, I opened the bond wider and began to release the control on my ties. Suddenly, all eyes were on me as they felt my connections being reestablished. As their emotions filtered back in, I was swamped with more relief than I had felt myself a second ago. I nearly crumpled, but was caught by three pairs of hands as I neared the floor.

They dialed back the relief they sent me as they stood me on my feet, realizing their combined emotions had been entirely too much, and then flooded me with affection, tenderness, appreciation, familial love from Godric, support, strength, gratitude, wonder, warmth, and understanding. They literally caressed me as they sent the emotions, trailing all six hands across different parts of me as I purred. Pam stroked my hair with one hand and my forearm with another, Godric ran his fingers along the side of my face while rubbing my other arm, and Eric had an arm around my waist, gently stroking my abs, and a hand curled over my shoulder, gliding it teasingly back and forth along my collarbone and tucking his head into the crook of my neck on the other side, scenting me as he ran his nose and mouth along the skin not covered by my jacket.

Pam apparently said it all when she whispered, "Glad you're back, Sookie." I felt all their blood hum in agreement, including my own, and I laced all my ties with them with an amazing amount of thankfulness and love. I sent love to each and every one of them. Shock rippled across the blood ties and they began to purr in a domino effect. I met Pam's eyes as I heard hers and caught a tear as it fell down her cheek. She pushed permission at me, so I raised it to my lips and swallowed, smiling when I felt our tie strengthen and become strong enough to last on its own. I then dropped my own fangs and punctured a finger before raising it to her lips, she watched with captivation and immediately wrapped her lips around my finger, swallowed the drop, and sealed the puncture with her tongue.

 _Family,_ she pushed to me and I nodded slowly, while retracting my fangs, thrilled she understood.

Their caresses slowed, becoming even tenderer, until Godric pressed a kiss to my forehead, Eric one to my neck and Pam dropped one on my cheek while they gradually backed away, reluctantly dropping their hands, lingering with their fingers until nothing but their pads grazed me as they let go.

We all dialed back our emotional exchanges as their touches tapered off until everything was silent across all the ties, except for one. Nora was feeling overwhelming jealousy with the intensity of the Fae. Everyone realized this at the same time and mirth sprinkled across our ties as Pam and Eric felt mischief mounting in our blood. They caught on to our train of thought and all four of us slammed her with affection simultaneously. When we slowed the emotion to a stop, we felt her tie stutter and hiccup in Vampire shock before amusement bloomed and glee shot up like a geyser in her blood. We added to it when we all burst out laughing.

"Things are always such fun when you're around," Pam laughed. I sent her affection for it infused with mirth, which was much easier now that a drop of my blood was in her.

When we quieted down, our attention fell back on the computer.

"We still have a problem after we destroy it," Eric pointed out. He was right. "Compton."

"Then we track him," Godric said, smiling when he felt the need to hunt dancing across three of his connections. "We track him and give him a chance to back down. If he doesn't?" he shrugged and said, "Well, the Magister is already looking for him."

Pam's blood hummed in agreement, so I assumed Eric had given her a rundown of everything we had come up with when he gave her the vampire blood to leave at Compton's.

"Where do we even start though?" Pam asked. I looked at Eric and he nodded, so I vamped over to the computer.

As I skimmed the current page and began typing in the search bar, I said, "One time. We use this _one time_ to help us confirm somethin' and use it to hunt down its _idiotic_ creator." Everyone chuckled. Pam and Eric were thrilled with my new favorite descriptor of my ex. They got a serious kick out of the way I thought of him now. "Here, he used his own bloodline in the program and the last known location of his maker is," I looked up at Eric and said, "Jackson, Mississippi."

"We believe the Weres originated from Jackson, part of the 'Fuck You Crew' and a splinter of the local pack," Eric supplied. Pam shot him a raised eyebrow so he added, "Something about their patches Jessica mentioned when you were changing."

"Figures that crazy bitch would kidnap her own progeny," Pam muttered.

Even though it was a total lie, she nodded, believing it. I was starting to think Pam could be trusted soon though. She and I had shared blood tonight and your predator has to believe it is completely safe with someone in order to allow the sharing of blood. She was coming to treat me like family and I wanted to show her the same trust.

"Lorena is not old enough to be the master of the branded werewolves though," Godric pointed out.

I thought of everything I learned tonight, everything about the wolves, and everything about vampire blood and Mississippi. The only other name I knew about from Mississippi was Russell Edington, was he old enough to be their master?

"The monarch, Russell Edington, how old is he?" I asked. Everyone immediately stilled, looking at me with shock at the suggestion. "There's a pack of werewolves on V runnin' around his state, kidnapping vampires for one of his subjects, it would make sense. If Compton has been brought to his compound, it's likely Lorena knows somethin' about her progeny's nefarious activities and has possibly told her sovereign. With what Compton knows, the king could use that information to…" I shrugged but didn't need to finish.

Eric finished for me when he breathed out, "Takeover Louisiana from its childish Queen. He has made bids for her hand several times and been denied. _He is nearly 3,000 years old_."

Oh shit.

"See, Sookie? So _much more fun_ when you're around!" Pam squealed.

"She's a trouble magnet," Eric muttered. He immediately shot me apology and a rueful smile when Godric and I admonished him through the blood.

"Sookie seems to be the opposite tonight, Eric. She seems to have the answers to all your problems. You are the one working for a childish queen, about to be set up for a life-threatening offense, have a missing vampire from your retinue, and were targeted by a vampire twice your current age 1,000 years before she was born," Godric scolded, earning me a tsunami of genuine apology and remorse from Eric. I shot him a dazzling smile, forgiveness, and caressed his tie. "She may also be the answer when it comes to Mississippi. Sookie and I have not yet pledged fealty, so we can approach Russell under the guise of looking for residency."

I would then have the opportunity to pilfer his mind, search his grounds under my light shield, and find Compton, all of which Eric immediately realized since hope flourished in his blood and his smile became one of mischief. I simply nodded and his smile became blindingly beautiful.

"Pam?" I asked, making her snap to attention. "Do you think you could get us some spy equipment? A jammer since the room we'll stay in will likely be bugged, a couple of those hidden cameras to gather evidence, and one of those thingies that clones data from phones and hard-drives?"

I happened to be a fan of James Bond. Sue me.

Eric's mouth dropped open and he was suddenly feeling very frisky, Godric was sporting another shit-eating grin and flooding me with pride, and Pam had dropped fang.

" _Absolutely,_ " she purred. "I'll need about a day to gather it, but you'll have it tomorrow night."

"What do you propose to do with the evidence, child?" Godric asked with a twinkle in his eye and a smile full of trouble.

"I think we should find evidence of Russell usin' the blood to form his very own blood pack and bring it to the Magister with a request to speak with the Authority for permission to end him," I said sweetly with my best Southern smile. Lust spiked all around. "Can you imagine the reaction of the vampires of the world if they discovered _a 3,000 year old monarch was desecrating the blood_?" I purred. "I also think Eric should be the one to present it. He's been huntin' these wolves for 1,000 years and he should make the kill. Eric should explain everything Russell has been up to for a millennium and we'll support it with photographic and digital evidence."

Lust then jumped from one very specific source.

 _Trouble magnet my ass._

"Do you think we could somehow get permission to stay for day-rest? We only need one day, master," I added. The "M" word was too much and Eric's fangs dropped, again.

I simply shot him another not-on-your-life look with a raised eyebrow, to which he responded with a look of pure yearning. _Not gonna happen_ I pushed emotionally, making Pam laugh. Eric reluctantly retracted his fangs and pouted again.

"If we show up unannounced, I believe so. It's customary for monarchs to offer a day of rest to powerful vampires considering residency. If we say I have been training you, teaching you to survive in the way of old, he will honor the tradition and put us up for a day. It would be best if we could have a dayman or someone trusted move us during the day when we're done, that way Russell doesn't have a chance to go through any of our things and discover what we gathered," Godric speculated.

A lightbulb went off in the bond and we turned our attention to Eric.

"There's a Were who splits his time between Shreveport and Jackson that owes me a favor," Eric admitted. "His name's Alcide Herveaux. I hold the marker on his father's company. His father owed a group of vampires a great deal of gambling debt and I bought it out. He's a degenerate gambler, so Alcide took up the marker for him. There's no werewolf in the world I trust, but Alcide's an honorable man. If I call in the debt, he _will_ help us with whatever we need. He'd do anything to get their joint-business out from under the thumb of vampires."

Godric and I smiled at each other before we turned back to Eric and I purred, " _Perfect._ He can drive our travel coffins to Jackson, the day after tomorrow?" I looked at Godric quizzically and he nodded. "The day after tomorrow. We should settle in the area for a night and scope out the terrain, maybe find the local Were bar the 'Fuck You Crew' visits and send Alcide in with a hidden camera to record as many faces as we can of their pack and what they typically act like so the Authority can see exactly _what type_ of people Russell is bestowing the gift of the blood on. We can drop in on the king the next night?" I asked again and received a nod with a grin this time. I looked back to Eric and saw him grinning too.

"Sookie," Pam purred, " _I do **love** to watch you plot_."

Too much lust. There was too much lust circling the room right now.

"Well, that's good. I'm all plotted out now, though," I wheezed out. They all burst into laughter.

"In that case, I will say good morning. I've felt the pull for the last ten minutes," she yawned. Then, shocking me, she leaned forward at vamp speed, kissed my cheek, and vamped off.

"Not even a full night," Eric muttered to himself. "Not even a full night and she's won Pam over."

Godric smiled and flushed my veins with pride and I just giggled. I was surprised myself with how quickly Pam had taken to the new me.

Eric turned back to look at me and shot me a grin before saying, "She did find a file about you in Compton's house, Sookie. You were right." He leaned over and snagged a folder off the coffee table and handed it to me. I opened it up and scanned it at vampire speed with Godric looking over my shoulder.

"It's articles about my family, photos of me, and a family tree. My grandfather's name, Earl Stackhouse, is circled and there's an article about him too. It looks like Compton found out he also had the gift of telepathy. Gran told me once that he just _knew things_ about people. He kept my uncle from hangin' himself, though my uncle did kill himself later with a shotgun…" I trailed off and shrugged. Amusement skipped through their veins. "Here's a photo of him," I added and handed it to Godric.

He stilled, in that unnatural way of ours, before passing to Eric and asking, "Does he look familiar to you, Eric?"

Eric took the photo and studied it for a second before he froze too and recognition flooded through his veins. He looked up at me and back down at the photo before he mumbled, "Yes he does, master. He looks a lot like Niall." He looked at my face once more and awe joined the recognition.

I turned to look at Godric, who was also studying me intently, and shot him a questioning look as I asked, "Niall Brigant? From the Sky Fae?"

He nodded seriously and explained, "It appears you may be a direct descendent, Sookie. It looks like you are of Royal blood."

Well I didn't feel Royal. I felt like a vampire who used to be a crazy waitress in a shifter's bar.

"Why wouldn't he have claimed her? Why let Sookie get within a mile of a vampire?" Eric asked.

Godric shrugged and said, "I don't know. Niall Brigant had many enemies the last I heard and it appears Earl was raised as a human. He could've been protecting his kin by keeping his relation to her secret. That need to protect is what primarily drives fairies." We nodded, after tonight it was obvious just how big a part of Fae nature the urge to protect one's kin was. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Sookie's the first with Fae blood I have met for several centuries. Whatever he's up to, I don't believe he has many Fae left to rule over. It's entertaining, though, to realize I have turned two members of Royal lines," he said, shooting Eric a mischievous grin.

Two?

Eric and I just looked at each other, blinking, as we thought about what he said. Then what I saw in Eric's memories came rushing back and I remembered the crown the vampire had one of the wolves fetch, which meant Eric had been some type of Viking king after his father died. I couldn't contain my reaction and I burst into a fit of laughter. Eric smiled impishly and gave me a fancy bow as he said, "Princess."

Godric chuckled but grew serious quickly, picked up the laptop and discs and turned back to me. "Sookie, would you do the honors and, as humans say, _light them up_?" he asked.

I nodded, opened the folder once more to remove the pictures Bill obviously stole from my house and the article that I was pretty sure he took from a scrapbook of Gran's, and stuck the mementoes in my inner jacket pocket before placing it on top of the computer. I gathered them up in my hands, while Godric and Eric took two very big steps back, and released a burst of sunlight, leaving nothing but ashes that quickly dissolved into the air.

Eric whistled and murmured, "Remind me never to piss you off."

"But you do that once a day," I retorted with a pout.

Eric chuckled and Godric shot mirth my way with his lips twitching before he agreed with me, "That does appear to be true…"

We both laughed when Eric's exasperation flickered in our blood. When our laughter subsided, I filled Godric in on an idea I had, "I think I'm going to visit the farmhouse later in the day while you rest. I wanna make sure it's livable before we take all our things over."

"Isn't it risky to be seen there in daylight, Sookie?" Eric asked, his concern lacing our tie.

I just shook my head, pushed him reassurance, and explained, "No, I'm gonna pop over and check things out under my light shield. Nobody'll see me if anyone's there."

They both nodded and Godric sent me his permission, so I would be taking a trip home.

"Well, I'm going to get ready to go to rest. It has been a _very_ long night, I will meet you in there, Sookie," Godric said, placed a kiss on my cheek, and sped away at super speed, leaving me and Eric conveniently alone. Godric could move really fast when he wanted to.

Eric didn't waste any time. He grabbed me by the hips, firmly tugged me closer, and planted his lips on mine for a thorough kiss while he slid a hand into my hair and stroked his fingers through my locks. My arms automatically reached up and wrapped themselves around his neck while I pushed myself up on my tiptoes to get even closer to his magical mouth. When he pulled back, he slipped his hand up from my hip to my neck and caressed my throat while keeping the other firmly rooted in my hair and hoarsely stated, "You sent me lust at the club, Sookie." I nodded slowly, apparently having lost the ability to speak. He leaned in and kissed me again, this time tenderly, lingering on my lips. "Why?" he asked with a voice as rough as the gravel on my driveway.

I knew he'd corner me like this when I pushed him lust. I'd taken a juicy T-bone and dangled it in front of a tiger, so I wasn't surprised he was going for the kill. The truth was, I did it because I'd wanted a moment alone with him for hours now and I knew he'd come looking for answers, but that wasn't the answer I'd give him. No, I'd give him the inspiration for it instead. Not a lie, but not the whole truth, so I'd get away with it in the tie.

"Revenge," I whispered with a smile full of mischief.

"For what?" he asked just as quietly, tucking me even closer against him and lowering his hand from my throat to my waist to wrap an arm around me as he dipped his head and ghosted his lips over my ear.

"I upped your lust because you upped mine," I breathed. He pulled back and gave me a quizzical look so I shot him a softer smile and clarified, "You just did it the old-fashioned way."

He returned to my ear, reveling in the shivers he sent down my spine with his breath as he reasoned, "You said touching makes the thoughts clearer."

I nodded and spoke clearly as I argued, "You could've easily just grabbed my hand underneath the table instead of trying to make me the first vampire to ever have a hickey."

His lips twitched as he pulled back once more to meet my eyes, amusement and mirth saturated the tie while he sheepishly admitted, "Grabbing your hand honestly never occurred to me."

I tsked him and teased, "And to think Godric told me you were the best strategist he's ever met. I'll have to warn him you're losin' your touch."

"Losing my touch?" he repeated as disbelief weaved itself into the tie. I bit my lip and nodded, sorely tempted to laugh at his incredulous expression. His gaze lowered to my lip and I could almost hear him scolding me all over again for biting it since he claimed it as his earlier tonight.

He pulled me flush against his body, making me gasp reflexively in surprise and giving him the opportunity he needed to kiss me like he was making love to my mouth with his own. While the taste of his lips and the motion of his tongue drugged me into a lust-induced stupor, his hands wandered from my waist and hair, stroking and caressing their way across my body and coming to a stop at the bottom of my shirt before he simply slid them underneath it. He then explored the terrain of my stomach, abs, waist, and back in gentle, butterfly touches, teasingly mapping out the curves of my body before he swept firmer, broader strokes over my skin.

After making sure he in some way touched every piece of skin available to him, he smoothly trailed them both down either side of my spine, pressing the pads of his fingers harder against the muscles of my back in a way that made me moan and arch myself into him as he massaged his way down to the waist of my pants. He then dropped his palms flush against me once more and brought his hands to a stop on my jean-covered butt. Eric gave it a gentle squeeze while he slowed his kiss, altering the pace and moving his mouth against mine lazily, but no less erotically. Finally, and yet all too soon, he brought our silent conversation to a stop, dragged his teeth slowly and pointedly across my lip and gently bit before soothing away the hurt with his tongue, tasted my lips once more, and pulled back one last time.

"How do you feel about _my touch_ now, Sookie?" he whispered and gave my butt another squeeze.

I cleared my throat, making his lips twitch since doing so was pointless for a vampire, and very seriously said, "Much better. If you wanna work on that more, I'm always free to help you practice."

He laughed and pushed me delight and affection while he released my butt, swept his hands back up my body to rest in my hair, and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on my forehead. His lips grazed my skin as he whispered, "Good night, Faery Princess," before vamping away and leaving me breathless. Not that I needed to breathe, I think I just forgot that sometimes when he kissed me like _that_. He had a thousand years of experience and damn did he put it to good use.

I walked back to the guest room a little dazed. Godric had already changed into sleep pants and was tucking his things back in his bag. He took one look at my face and laughed his ass off. He laughed even harder when I blushed and sent him a push telling him to go dip himself in silver. Since he was laughing at my expense, I quickly grabbed my things and took them into the bathroom with me, haughtily cutting his laughter off with a slam of the door. When I came back out in a t-shirt and pajama pants, things were much calmer.

Godric looked nice and comfy, sitting cross-legged on the bed. He waved me over and indicated the spot in front of him, so I climbed up on the massive mattress and settled myself in a position that mirrored his.

"What happened earlier between you and Eric? Why did you both bleed blood tears?" he asked seriously, though there may or may not have been a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

See? I knew we'd be talking about this later.

"He asked me, mentally, to show him the patches and jackets the werewolves wore. After I did, I asked him why he was so curious all of a sudden and he completely shut himself off from me," Godric nodded like this was typical, then his eyebrows shot to the roof when I added, "but I convinced him to let me in and he showed me his grief. There was so much, Godric. Too much for one man, so I tugged on our connection and opened the floodgate so I could help him carry it..." He sent me an astonishing amount of pride, tenderness, and affection, and I basked in it all. "He used one of the caresses I usually use and I shivered because I couldn't purr," I confessed sheepishly and he laughed.

"And the tears?" he asked.

"I asked him why, why he had so much grief and he told me to search his memories for everythin' to do with branded wolves. I watched you both hunt the master of the wolves throughout the last thousand years as if I were Eric. I cried when I got to the root of it all, when I experienced the memory of his father dyin' and watched the vampire take his father's crown. A tear slipped out when his father asked him for vengeance and Eric swore he'd get it," I admitted quietly as my gaze fell to my hands. He traced my cheek with his fingers contemplatively and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Why did Eric cry a blood tear, why did he bleed, Sookie?" he whispered.

I looked up again and met his eyes and softly explained, "Eric was nervous about how I'd react to that, to seein' his wounds and the only thing I could think of that would settle him and make him understand seein' that pain didn't lessen him any in my eyes was to show him my own." My voice became smaller, barely audible when I enlightened him further, "Eric blamed himself for their deaths. He felt he could've somehow prevented it all if he'd been there from the beginning- which he couldn't have if it was Russell. He still would've been over 2,000 years older than Eric. So I showed him how I could easily blame myself for the death of my parents and for Gran's death. Gran was killed by a serial killer targetin' me, Godric, and I showed Eric that. His tear fell when he watched me clean up Gran's blood."

Godric knew all about the serial killings. He'd been extremely curious about how I came to meet Eric so I had to explain it all the night I rose, after we got to his safe house. I hadn't told him about cleaning up after Gran's death though. It had been too private a wound to share so close to my own death.

Godric's brows furrowed and his hand dropped to stroke me from my shoulder to my palm, where he then laced his fingers with mine and said, "Show me, Sookie. First, show me what Eric saw the night his family died and then show me what you showed Eric about yourself. I've wanted to know about the night that has driven Eric through the years since he told me about his vow. I need to experience that in order to understand his need for vengeance better and I need to see your memories to understand the pain you feel when you speak about your Gran and Bill Compton. There's a deep anger there when you say his name that has to do with more than what he's done to you personally, and I want to understand it, child."

I nodded, reluctantly, and sighed. I really didn't want to go through all that twice in one night, but he was firm in this decision. I looked up as I laced my other hand with his free one and asked him to close his eyes, then I replayed the last memory Eric had of his family alive. I swept a tear from his cheek at some point and swallowed it while I pushed him support. I slowly transitioned the memories to my own, swept up another tear when he heard my mother's thoughts, and finally moved into my more recent memories. He bled two tears when he watched me clean up Gran's blood alone. It was incredibly touching to see my maker cry for me when he witnessed that pain.

When he opened his eyes again, he quickly snatched me into a hug and whispered, "Oh child, you were right, _Bill Compton is an idiot._ " I giggled and sent agreement to him. "He's vampire. He is used to blood, Sookie, and he could've cleaned that up for you in three seconds flat. Instead you have a wound inside where comfort should be and an awful memory that haunts you. If we get the chance, I will make him regret that fact," he swore. He released me then and cupped my cheek as he added, "And I understand that anger now. You don't blame him when it comes to the actions that affected you alone. Part of you even pities him since he was ordered to do it by his queen, but your fairy nature refuses to forgive him for how his actions affected your kin, for what he had to do with your Gran's death. You feel he is partly responsible for her murder because he attracted Rene's attention to you, which endangered your kin, and protecting your kin is what drives you. I'm glad I can see that now." He finished with a whisper and wiped a tear from my cheek, bringing it to his lips to swallow.

We laid down then and slid beneath the covers. The sun was rising and Godric would only be awake a little bit after the sun rose before he'd purposefully shift into downtime to fall into death.

"Godric?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow at me in response. "Can you show me a good memory? Maybe a funny one of you and Eric? I really don't want to go to rest with these memories sitting heavy on me."

He nodded and smiled a dazzling smile, liking my idea very much before he closed his eyes. I opened up my mind and pushed in before I closed my own eyes. I realized now that I didn't need to actually meet his eyes to see what he remembered vividly or to transmit my own thoughts. My mind just needed to connect with his. I relaxed as Godric showed me a memory of him and Eric running through the highlands of Scotland and laughed at the sight of Eric in a kilt. I was so relaxed I slid off to sleep before Godric fell victim to the sun.


	16. Chapter 16: Glamourous

**_A/N:_**

 _Every time I see I have a new follower or that I've been added to your favorites, I squeal. You all honor me. Thank you._

 _You should know, I love reading your reviews as much as you love reading about Faepire Sookie. Probably more so. I'm like an addict searching for a fix._

 _This chapter includes our favorite daydream. I may have changed the plot of Season 3, but I couldn't let that scene completely disappear. Enjoy!_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: True Blood and SVM belong to Alan Ball, HBO, and Charlaine Harris. I own nothing. I just have issues with letting go._

* * *

 **EPOV**

I was pretty sure I went to my day-rest with a smile on my face, a first for me and just one of many firsts I experienced since Godric walked into Fangtasia last night. Getting up was no hassle either, I was more than ready to face another night with the talented and delectable Miss Stackhouse. I opened my eyes and inhaled slowly, stretching my limbs, even though I really didn't need to.

Then I growled.

Sookie had popped into my room sometime during the day and left her scent on my sheets. She even slid in next to me at some point. _And she had sunbathed_. Oddly, I didn't mind that she could pop her way into my room and Sookie was definitely welcome to pop her way into _my_ _bed_ anytime, I was only disappointed she wasn't still here. I inhaled that heavenly scent once again before I reluctantly got up to shower.

I mean I showered reluctantly.

I really didn't want to wash off that scent.

I finally compromised with myself by showering, sticking on a navy v-neck, and adding the jacket I wore yesterday so I still smelled of Godric and Sookie; of honey, wheat, old forests, and sunlight.

It was better than any cologne I could've owned.

It only took me a minute to shower and change at vamp speed and I quickly headed out the door, making sure it latched behind me and the security lock engaged but wondering idly if there was really a point in locking anything if Sookie could pop anywhere she wanted.

My train of thought was completely derailed when I walked out to find Sookie perched on the couch, her foot on the coffee table with her pant leg hitched up to her calf while she adjusted a knife sheathe holding a silver blade.

It caused so many potential fantasies that I didn't know where to start.

Sookie was wearing her black synthetic jacket again, dark, form-fitting jeans, and a different pair of black stiletto boots that laced up just past her ankles. Her shirt was made of metallic silver that shimmered and rippled like a waterfall and was cut extremely low in a V-shape across her chest. She had donned a lacy black camisole underneath it, which contrasted beautifully with the glistening silver fabric and drew the eye to the curve of her chest. Her hair was straight again, she wore silver colored loops in her ears, and had dusted her eyelids with a very light layer of what looked like glitter that grew darker in color, fading into black, the closer it got to her lashes. The look was finished with a little shiny, clear lip gloss and a light layer of mascara. Overall, she looked darker and edgier than I'd ever seen her before, like I had just walked onto the set of _Good Sookie Gone Bad_. I thought it entirely possible Vampire Sookie had commandeered her body while she was getting dressed tonight.

And it turned me on to no end.

Her head swung up to look at me, having felt my rise in lust, and she winked at me. I may have growled in response. She did provoke me.

Then again, that outfit could probably provoke a priest.

"Where's Godric?" I asked, after she stopped giggling, and walked over to the fridge to pop a bag of donor blood in the microwave. I held one up in Sookie's direction and she nodded, so I added another and tried not to grin about it.

"Arranging travel coffins for tomorrow," she sighed as she slipped her very mistress-style, black boot back on and laced it up. She really had to stop giving me ideas.

"Sookie," I called softly. When she looked up, I smirked and said, "You left your scent on my sheets."

"I know," she mumbled. "I forgot to turn it off."

I couldn't help it, I laughed. Sookie had been hoping to sneak into my room, lie down next to me, and never tell me. Forgetting to shield her scent gave her away and that was all just too funny.

"That's okay. Feel free to pop in _anytime_ , but I would prefer it if you _at least_ left your scent," I said and bit my lip as I ran my eyes over her body. Damn, she looked good. She responded with a blush in the tie and a wave of exasperation that had me smirking again.

I pulled the bags out of the microwave, walked over to the back of the couch and jumped over it like a teenager. I settled in next to Sookie and handed her a bag as I dropped fang and bit into my own. When I finished, I watched Sookie drain the rest of her bag enthralled. I didn't think I'd ever get tired of those sinful moans. I also would never get tired of how she always left a drop or two of blood on her lips. In fact, I was more than okay with that.

It meant I got to clean them off her.

Which was something I reminded her of when I pulled her towards me to run my tongue over her lips. She hummed deliciously into my mouth as I parted those lips and swept my tongue inside, cleaning off the blood still coating the inside of her mouth. I slid my hand into her hair as we kissed, gathered a handful and twisted it, teasing her with the new sensation. She rewarded me with another sinful moan but got revenge on me by nonchalantly sliding into my lap and placing a knee on each side of my body.

She then laced her hands behind my neck and deepened the kiss, but I was more than happy to let Sookie have control, excited to see where she would take it. She hummed delectably into my mouth again and ground down on me, making me hiss, which she immediately silenced with another tantalizing stroke of her tongue. Her hands reached up while we explored each other's mouths and slipped into my hair. The little vixen then scratched her nails along my scalp erotically before she tugged sharply on my hair, broke the kiss, and smiled wickedly at me. I didn't even have a chance to respond before she used the hold she had on my hair to tilt my head to the side while she dipped her own to my neck and ran her fangs over my jugular.

 _Yes, please_.

A thrill of excitement danced down my spine and more lust erupted in my veins as I settled my hands on her hips to help her move. Sookie rocked her hips sensually over mine while she caressed my neck with her lips and teeth, alternating between sucking and nipping patches of my skin. After teasing me languidly for a minute, she settled on a spot and swept her tongue over my skin, about to prepare it for her fangs, when she suddenly shot back up, placed her hands gently on either side of my neck, and stroked my jawbone with her thumbs while murmuring, "You do taste like saltwater and snowflakes."

"Huh?" I _eloquently_ responded, shaking my head to clear it from lust. What did she just say? Saltwater and… what?

She smiled excitedly, dipped her head again, and scented me before she pulled back, smiled brilliantly, and whispered, "You smell like the ocean in winter. I can taste the saltwater and snow on your skin."

I shook my head once more before what she said sank in and I stared at her. No one had ever once told me they could taste saltwater and snow on my skin, not in a thousand years. As for my scent, vampires said I smelled like cold water and earthy forests, a combination of my human scent and my maker's. Yet Sookie just said I smelled like the ocean in winter.

"That's not what people typically say my scent smells like, Sookie," I said softly and gave her hips a little squeeze, I was utterly confused.

"I can smell your normal scent, Eric, but it's like there's another layer over it. A stronger one that smells _so good_ ," she ran her nose over my neck again and moaned the last two words, which was quickly reigniting my lust. Before I could do anything about it, she brought her head back up and asked, "Did you play by the North Sea as a child?"

I studied her face, stunned. After a second, I realized she could've dug through my memories for that, but her face looked genuinely curious and I couldn't feel any mischief in the tie, so I just nodded.

"I'm smellin' your memories," she breathed, as if she were talking to herself and disbelief raced through her veins.

I shook my head and attempted to dismiss the idea, though somehow I was not surprised when awe still leaked into my voice when I spoke, "No, not even you can do that."

A wicked gleam entered her eye and my lust kicked up another notch but when she opened her mouth to taunt me with whatever she was about to taunt me with, all I heard was a very loud, pointed cough. Sookie and I both turned our heads to my right to find Godric, who graced us with another triumphant grin of a Cheshire cat.

I may have said that's exactly what his smile looked like.

Sookie nearly made Godric and I come apart at the seams when she muttered, "My brother and I always called it a 'shit-eating grin.'"

She slid off my lap and stood up with disappointment, picked up the empty bags of blood, and trashed them while Godric and I laughed.

I could almost read _her_ mind, probably because I was thinking the same thing.

 _Cock-blocked by my own maker._

Which actually surprised me a little. Godric didn't normally interfere when I took lovers, yet he'd stopped me a few times now from taking things further with Sookie and now he had stopped Sookie from taking things further with me. I could argue it was because Sookie was his progeny, but he hadn't reacted this way when Nora was turned and we started something.

Nora.

Was that what Godric was worried about? That I'd treat Sookie the way I treated Nora after she was turned? That I'd introduce her to vampire sex and then wander out to find a new lover when I got bored with her? I wouldn't do that, mainly because there was _no_ _way_ _I would ever get bored with Sookie._ I wanted her too much to let her go that easily. If she gave me the opportunity to, I would bond with her. Normally, I'd be tempted into taking advantage of sharing blood with her by completing an exchange through puncturing her lip or tongue or biting something while she was drinking from me. After yesterday, though, I planned to never attempt to manipulate her like that again, which meant I'd actually have to talk about it with her, something that honestly scared the shit out of me. I had hope, though. Yesterday she had said she needed more time before it came to exchanging blood, which gave me hope that we _would_ exchange at some point. I would love a first-level bond with her.

I'd love a complete bond even more.

"You only drank one bag, right?" Godric asked Sookie. She was supposed to feed from the source tonight, so he wanted her to drink something but not sate herself. He needed to be able to gauge how she would react around prey while hungry. Sookie nodded, relieving Godric.

Anticipation began to emerge in the tie as Godric turned to me. I flashed Sookie a quizzical look when I felt it, but turned back to my maker without an answer.

"Eric, we need to test one of Sookie's abilities before Pam and Jessica rise, and you are the only other vampire we can trust with it," Godric said meaningfully.

I quickly thought through everything Sookie and Godric told me and showed me last night and my stomach sank when I realized what ability it was he wanted Sookie to test on me. Her glamour.

"It won't be that bad, Eric," Sookie drawled as she walked over to me and sat in front of me on the coffee table. "I won't erase anything, ask anything embarrassing, or implant somethin' wild. I'll make you shoot your hands up or speak in Spanish. Stop worrying."

Oddly, that actually helped. I was still nervous about being glamoured like an everyday human, something all the reassurance I was suddenly receiving helped with, but it wasn't so bad anyways now that she had assured me she wouldn't do anything like ask me how I felt about her. Sookie just promised she wouldn't violate my privacy.

It was ironic that I thought I had any left when she was a vampire reading telepath.

"Does it feel differently to you? Using your influence on a vampire instead of a human?" I asked. I was genuinely curious. Sookie was using her influence on the predator instead of the prey and I wondered what the difference was.

She nodded and explained, "When I pushed my influence at Godric, it was like tryin' to run underwater. There was this odd resistance I had to wade through. Weirdly, you were twice as easy. I'd guess that if I had to do it to someone older like Russell, it'd be even harder, if I could do it at all. We need to see though if bein' able to use my influence like that means I can glamour you too."

I nodded, rolled my eyes, and sent them acceptance. Sookie gave me a beautiful smile that would've stopped my heart if it still beat and pressed her influence towards me. Slowly, everything but Sookie started fading out, disappearing into darkness, until the only thing left in front of me was Sookie. Her form gradually began to brighten, focus, almost like she was suddenly on HD television.

Gods, she was beautiful.

I completely understood now why it was called glamour. Sookie looked like a fucking supermodel, an angel, and the ultimate temptress combined. Her glow was accentuated and warmer, every curve became more tempting and defined, her lips looked plumper, her eyes more coy, and her movements became so graceful, so catlike.

" _Eric,_ " she purred slowly, then shot me a grin full of mischief that made me salivate with lust. With the voice of a sex-kitten, which only made me want to tear her clothes off even more, she flirtatiously asked, "You're going to braid my hair for me, aren't you?"

When she pulled her influence back, I robotically pulled her towards me and sat her at my feet before sweeping her hair up in a complicated braid from my homeland at vamp speed. When the compulsion ended, I looked down in amazement to find I had braided her hair in the style of a shieldmaiden. I didn't even know I still remembered how to do that. Apparently I did, which meant I probably knew all the other Viking styles too, and yet I had picked this specific one for Sookie, which was hilarious since I felt Sookie was my own personal shieldmaiden. She'd already saved my life once from the Magister and again when she talked us out of keeping that idiotic and dangerous program last night. Tomorrow she'd be going into enemy territory and possibly facing off against the vampire that murdered my family. The braid definitely fit her.

Slowly, I ran my fingers over her honeyed locks and looked up at a grinning Godric with a soft smile, delighted that I'd turned her into a shieldmaiden for the night, and said, "Well, her glamour definitely works on vampires. Although, I hadn't realized this had turned into that type of slumber party." Godric chuckled and I leaned over to purr in Sookie's ear, " _Can we have a pillow fight next_ , Sookie?"

Sookie looked up at me with her own shit-eating grin and reached back to touch her hair. She took off at vamp speed, I guess to check out her braid, which she confirmed for me when Godric and I heard her beautiful peals of laughter coming from their bathroom. She was back not a second later, her hand still lingering on her braid, and excitedly asked, "What kind of braid is this, Eric? I've never seen anythin' like it."

I stood up lazily, giving her time to back up a little and let me move, before I reached out to leisurely stroke her braid again, fascinated I was able to remember how to do it since I hadn't braided something like that since my mother died. I met her gaze as I fondled the braid and said, "This is how the Viking shieldmaidens used to braid their hair. Shieldmaidens fought with the warriors, determined to protect their kin." I tugged on her braid and finished softly with, "Ironic, huh?"

She'd glamoured me into doing it and yet she still rewarded me for it, sending me a tantalizing caress through the tie and making me purr while she reached up and pressed a kiss to my cheek, and whispered, "Thank you, Eric."

Braiding her hair was obviously something Sookie picked as a joke, but now it had a deeper meaning for us both. Sookie had given me a gift by reviving a long forgotten memory for me and, in return, I had honored her by instinctively choosing the braid of a warrior for her, one that fit her to her very core. That realization just made me purr even louder.

"Sookie, I don't know how you're doing it, but you need to stop turning my maker into a cat," Pam snarked as she walked into the room. We all shot her quizzical looks so she pointed at me and added, "Look at him, _he's purring and playing with your hair_!"

It was true. I was.

Sookie started laughing hysterically as Godric and I chuckled, causing pleasure and delight to radiate from my bond with Pam, who loved the fact Sookie had found that so funny. I was honestly blown away by how Pam had taken to Vampire Sookie. Faepire Sookie?

I really needed to work on that.

Pam walked over to us and circled Sookie, nodding appreciatively at her outfit, before gently running her hand over the braid and commenting, "I've never seen this before."

Sookie gasped for a breath she didn't need and explained, "Eric did it. He said it's how Viking shieldmaidens wore their hair."

Pam's eyebrows shot towards her hairline and she turned to me, still stroking Sookie's hair, and opened her mouth to speak when Sookie's ties suddenly radiated mischief and she stroked her tie with Pam to make her purr.

Godric and I laughed when we realized Pam was now the one purring and playing with her hair. She'd turned her into the cat in the equation. When the purr died, Pam looked between us, stunned, and broke out into her own case of hysterical laughter. She'd obviously realized exactly what Sookie had done.

When she'd finally gathered herself, Pam looked back to Sookie and gave her a fond smile, one I wasn't sure I'd ever seen before, gave her braid a tiny tug and said, "That was clever, cupcake. You caught me by surprise." She then turned back to me as she dropped Sookie's braid, crossed her arms, and asked, "You remember how to braid hair from a thousand years ago but haven't braided mine?"

"I didn't know I could," I said with a shrug, letting her feel my honesty in our bond. I worded everything carefully when I added, "It must've been muscle memory. Once she sat down in front of me, I just did it. I haven't braided any hair at all since my mother died when I was human."

For some reason, my answer delighted Sookie because her tie started glowing with pleasure. My lips twitched when I realized what pleased Sookie was the fact that Sookie was the only other woman I had done that for besides my mother. It made her feel more connected to her and like it was reserved for those special to me, which actually thrilled me. I would've loved it if my parents could've met Sookie. It also thrilled me that she wanted to be connected to my mother at all. If we were both human and our parents were alive, she would've wanted to meet mine. I was honored she felt that way and I sent her affection for it. Though Pam was completely oblivious, Godric had realized this too, both how Sookie felt and how I felt about how she felt, and gave me another shit-eating grin. I gave him a firm push that told him to go try sun-bathing, which only made that crazy-ass grin wider.

"Would you braid mine like that sometime, master?" Pam asked sweetly. She always threw in the "master" when she wanted something, suck-up.

I didn't even realize I was looking at Sookie for permission until she smiled at me and said in a low voice, imitating a man, "Just keep it the family, Eric," slapped me on the shoulder, and walked away.

Pam looked at me with incredulity, both because I had unconsciously asked Sookie for _permission_ (probably because it meant so much to her) and because of Sookie's hilarious response. I shrugged my shoulders and said, in as casual a voice as possible, "You heard your Auntie. Anytime, Pam."

I was incredibly relieved when she didn't comment and only snickered. Godric, on the other hand, had to rub it in a little by laughing so hard his body shook.

 _Asshole_.

Sookie giggled at the sound of Godric's laughter and the feel of my irritation, drawing our attention to her as she pulled a bag of donor blood and popped in the microwave. Godric and I gave her confused looks, since Godric had made it clear no more blood until she fed from the source, but relaxed when she flooded us with reassurance. Jessica stepped out a moment later, helping us put two and two together. I shared a meaningful look with Godric and sent a push that said _do you see this?_ as Sookie called Jessica's name and launched the bag at her. Jessica snatched it from the air, dropped fang and bit in.

Pam was sponsoring Jessica, yet Sookie was automatically taking care of her. Last night she laid down the law for her, ripped into her for her behavior, and tore down everything Jessica thought she knew about her maker and Jessica _thanked her for it_. She then taught Jessica about sponsors of the blood, treating bloodlines and elders with respect, offered her protection, shared blood with her, made sure she fed before day-rest, and shepherded her off to bed. Sookie was beginning to look like the excellent replacement maker for Bill, which was very unusual since her blood was younger than Jessica's. It would definitely be a first for a baby vamp to be the progeny of another and younger baby vamp if Sookie one day took over, but firsts were kind of Sookie's specialty.

Godric nodded, which relieved me a little. I thought I may have been an idiot for even considering something like this, but if Godric had noticed their connection, then I wasn't being stupid and it was a real possibility. Godric gave me a warm smile when he felt my relief and sent me a push that said _Later._ I nodded, realizing he wanted to discuss it _with Sookie_ later, and gave him my own smile and an eyebrow waggle. Sookie being a maker was an exciting idea. He just chuckled, but his blood did hum in agreement.

"Ooo. Sookie, what a beautiful braid," Jessica complimented as she tossed the bag away and touched Sookie's hair. I wondered if that would be happening all night. I didn't like the idea of strangers touching my… shieldmaiden.

I could get away with _that_ , right?

"Thanks," Sookie said, shot me affection and added, "Eric did it."

Jessica's mouth dropped open in shock and she made that odd choking noise again. I was a little confused with her reaction. Did guys not do that anymore? We used to do it for the ones we loved and as a sign of respect. It was actually an honor to be the one to braid a shieldmaiden's hair. I guessed it must've been one of the many things that changed with time.

It only took a split second to think this, so I fluidly switched the conversation to tonight with Pam.

"Pam, call Alcide when we get to the club. Let him know we're calling in his marker, see if he's in town and can drop by tonight to meet Sookie and Godric. I'm thinking we should close the club while they're in Jackson. If you can get cameras that transmit long-range, then we can keep an eye on everything happening in Jackson while they're visiting the king and tracking wolves. With live feeds, keeping the bar open would just be a risk and distracting, so call the local vampires scheduled to appear and cancel their hours for the rest of the week and give the human staff full pay. Also, push up any meetings I have scheduled to tonight, if that's too soon, push it back three nights, okay?" I asked, making sure my orders were doable.

She nodded as she typed something on her phone, probably moving things in her calendar, and then asked, "You have a few residency requests but no reported violations or appeals to look into. What time tonight do you want me to have them come to the club?"

I thought about everything for a second, realized I _really_ wanted to see Sookie feed, so I turned to Godric and asked, "Everything okay at the farmhouse?"

He nodded, realizing I was looking for a time window, and said, "We plan to go to the club first and find some donors, then head to Bon Temps, stop at the store for some things on the way there, meet with Sookie's loved ones, and stop at the house at some point before we come back to the bar. Since Alcide will be taking us to Jackson tomorrow, I haven't decided if we should come back here or not. Does he know about your resting place?" I shook my head so he quickly added, "Then Alcide will be picking us up in Bon Temps."

Disappointment flared in both my and Pam's blood, quickly followed by surprise at each other's reactions. We both wanted Sookie and Godric to stay?

Sookie started laughing and asked, "Did you want me to move-in?"

Luckily, I didn't have a chance to say anything, thereby excusing me from trying to lie, when Pam said, "Auntie, it's been so much _fun_ though. If you stick around, I might even get to be the one to braid your hair and you can teach me how to kiss."

I had to keep my fangs from dropping at the thought.

Sookie muttered something about lesbian weirdness and said, "As enticing as that sounds, I miss my home. Last night was fun, but I'll be around for a long time guys. You'll probably see me at least once a night anyways while I'm learnin' to feed and, Pam, Godric asked Eric if you would train and spar with me-" Pam's fangs dropped before Sookie could say another word and she pushed an ocean's worth of agreement, excitement, and anticipation towards Sookie who chuckled and finished with, "So you'll see me around a lot. The Stackhouse homestead needs a Stackhouse in it. It's been in the family over a hundred years, for six generations."

We both reluctantly nodded and I turned to Pam and finally said, "Schedule them for when Godric and Sookie will be gone. They're going to stop for a drink and head off for a couple hours, so maybe between nine and eleven? That enough time?"

Pam nodded and said, "There's only four requests, so that should be plenty."

"Sookie?" I called. She walked back over to us and slid an arm around my waist as she raised an eyebrow at me. My own arm automatically wrapped itself around her shoulders. "Feel free to _pop in_ anytime," I said again with a grin. Amusement for different reasons skittered around my bond with Godric and tie to Sookie and they flooded me with mirth.

"Sure," she said. Pam nodded with a smile, tucked her cell into her pocket and walked over to talk to her temporary progeny. When she walked away, Sookie turned to look back at us and spoke in a much softer voice, "I realized last night that if you guys wanna get my attention and make sure I'm really _listening,_ I might understand better if you give the bond a double-tug." She smiled when she felt understanding flood us and we both pushed pride at her for the idea. It would be so much more natural looking than vampires scratching itches they didn't have.

"You got your stuff ready?" I asked. When she nodded, I vamped into their room and collected everything, came back and handed Godric his bags. Sookie reached her hand out, so I stuck her purse in it, flashing her a small grin as I strapped one of her bags over my shoulder and tucked the others under my arm to carry them out. She scrunched up her nose but sent me gratitude and a smaller stroke than the one she used when we really, really pleased her. "Pam?" I called. When she turned to look at me, hand on her hip, I said, "I'm taking their… Jeep-" she cackled and her glee shot up, "so just go ahead and take your van. I'll fly back tonight."

She nodded in agreement and we all walked up the stairs.


	17. Chapter 17: Sating a Thirst

**_A/N:_**

 _Warning! Extremely long chapter ahead! I just couldn't find a good place to cut it. It would've turned into a normal-sized one and a tiny, tiny one, so I decided to treat you to both at the same time. I'm all about compromises._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: True Blood and SVM are owned by Alan Ball, HBO, and Charlaine Harris. I own nothing and that's not likely to change. That doesn't mean I can't have a little fun though._

* * *

The club was packed when we arrived, which was actually a very good thing because more vampires would be present than normal and they all needed to be aware there were two new vampires in the area. When we walked out in the club, every vampire stilled for a second, making it very obvious who was undead and who was not, as they realized a very powerful vampire was with their sheriff by taking in his aura and glow. Younger vampires immediately averted their eyes and the others dropped their heads in respect. What they didn't know was that Godric's new progeny was probably just as powerful, if not more, but in a different way.

Sookie giggled, attracting the attention of not just her bloodline, and said softly, "I don't think I'll ever get over how much this looks like what a vampire ride at Disney World would."

Chuckles escaped vampires throughout the room since they were all listening closely to find out anything about the new vampires in the area.

"I remember hearing you say that once, the first time you came here," I said, desperately fighting a small smile, and started leading my group over to my reserved booth, nodding at vampires as we walked. Pam tugged on Jessica's sleeve and peeled off in the direction of my office, so it was just Sookie, Godric, and I.

Sookie slid in one side and I sat next to her and dropped my arm over her shoulder while Godric slipped in opposite us. I wasn't trying to make a claim, though in a way I had, it just felt like the most natural thing in the world. Sookie knew I wasn't feeling abnormally possessive so she wasn't irritated. She even leaned into me, so I tucked her a little closer, bent my arm at the elbow, and trailed my hand up and down her throat.

"You were listenin' the whole time then, weren't you?" she asked. I nodded with an impish grin.

"I could smell your scent, Sookie, the second you walked in. It was like nothing I'd ever smelled before. Plus you were wearing a white dress in the middle of a sea of black, which was either incredibly smart or incredibly stupid. You attracted every vampire's attention, but attracting that attention made it impossible for you to _disappear_ ," I said carefully.

Godric chuckled and leaned back, slipping both arms across the back of the booth.

"I'm gonna say it was a little of both. I knew nobody else would look like me, I didn't own any black at the time, so I figured why not go all out. If I'm gonna stand out then I'm really gonna _stand out_ ," she said ruefully and Godric and I sent her mirth and affection for it.

I sighed wistfully and said, "I liked that dress. Unfortunately, some guy decided he wanted to wear it at the maenad's _event_. Pam saved part of it though, she said she'd use it for something called a scrapbook?"

Sookie's eyebrows shot to the ceiling and confusion pulsed in the tie so I added, "She may not have gotten along with you before, but she secretly enjoyed your fire. It was refreshing to her, so she wanted to keep a small reminder."

Sookie smiled and reached into her tie with Pam to lazily stroke her, not any more intimately, but prolonging the caress. When she finished, Pam shot out of the office and was before us with her hand on her hip not a second later.

"Not that I don't enjoy that, cupcake, because I do. _I really, really_ _do_. But what was that for?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Eric told me you saved a scrap of my dress," she stated and flooded Pam with so much affection that she purred in front of everyone, sending chuckles through our audience once again. Pam couldn't give two shits about it though, she'd purr in front of the whole world if Sookie kept sending her affection and caressing her all night. I could literally feel that in my blood.

"Do you want it back, Sookie?" Pam asked.

Sookie shook her head no and said, "Keep it, Pam. Although, I'd like to see the scrapbook when you're done, maybe it could be one of our bloodline after tonight?"

Pam slowly smiled and nodded. Not only had Sookie just pleased Pam, she had casually notified the area vampires not to fuck with her because she was a part of their sheriff's bloodline. Sookie knew it too; she'd been a hundred percent honest with her suggestion but knew exactly what she was saying when she said it. All three of us pushed her pride and she struggled a little internally, but didn't purr. She flooded her ties with us with gratefulness and smiled when Pam nodded and disappeared.

It wasn't long before vampires came up to introduce themselves to the new vamps in the area, under the pretense of a conversation with me of course. Nobody wanted to risk extra attention being cast their way by getting on the bad side of either Sookie or Godric. The most interesting visitor though was the, now, second oldest vampire in the state, Thalia.

Thalia was a petite, glamourous looking thing with dark, Mediterranean features, rich black hair and a wicked disposition. She was nearly 2,000 years old, just under Godric's age, since her glow was fractionally smaller. Though Thalia looked petite, she was a vicious warrior who didn't put up with anything from anybody, which reminded me of Sookie in a way, but Sookie was usually a lot better natured and gentler overall. Godric could still take Thalia on, but she would give him a run for his money.

"Sheriff," she nodded at me and I nodded in return. She turned and looked at Godric pointedly. He grinned wickedly, honestly feeling pleased by her presence, and slid over to give her room to sit. Thalia had turned her attention to Sookie while she waited for Godric to move, evaluating her.

"Thalia," Godric said with glee and nodded. They went way, way back.

Realizing how old Thalia was, Sookie immediately started feeling protective of her kin, so her predator started to emerge. Her emotions tightened, became smaller, but didn't completely disappear and she reached her arms above her head and stretched them languidly as she arched her back in that very graceful, feline way of hers. She completely relaxed into me, molding her form to mine as if we were one unit. I stroked her throat again and she purred, making my lips twitch. Not once did she break eye contact with Thalia.

Slowly, very slowly, Thalia smiled at her and nodded. Sookie imitated her, respectfully, smiling just as slowly and nodding back. The room burst into vampire murmurs and surprise as the ill-tempered, 2,000 year old vampiress acknowledged a baby vamp. Thalia didn't acknowledge many, didn't respect many, so it was an incredible surprise and honor. We flooded Sookie with pride all over again as Thalia took a seat. This time she did purr, then nuzzled into me, to my delight, and stroked her connections with Godric and I. Unable to purr in front of such a crowd without explanation, we shivered.

Having picked up on all of our reactions, Thalia put together our emotional exchange and let out a delighted laugh. A shocked vampire in the background actually dropped a glass of True Blood at the sound of it.

"Little one, it is nice to see one with your control," Thalia commented, making us aware she knew Sookie was talented with her blood but leading others to assume she was mentioning Sookie's behavior.

" _Thank you,_ Thalia _,_ " she purred and somewhere in the crowd someone's fangs dropped. My possessiveness ignited, but I managed to stifle it without reacting. "I'm Sookie," she added casually.

Thalia smiled again and gave her another nod before turning to Godric, and scolded, "You turn another and I do not find out for a month? I thought we had this talk last time!"

Godric chuckled and said, "I apologize, Thalia. I wanted some time to spend alone with my new progeny. I knew you would be here when we moved into the area so I thought I'd surprise you."

She harrumphed and muttered, "I'm surprised, but more with _her_ than _you_." Godric chuckled again. Thalia then considered Godric's words and that rare yet gorgeous smile emerged again as she said, "You move to my area, Godric? You both?"

Godric nodded and Thalia looked to Sookie for confirmation. With Sookie's nod, Thalia laughed in delight all over again and another two glasses fell, sending mirth and amusement firing through our veins.

"Oh, I will like that," she said and cackled. She eyed Sookie and added, with a mischievous grin, "I will like that very much. You and I will be friends, little one. I feel it in my blood."

Sookie purred and nodded before saying, "I feel it too, Thalia. And you'll teach me about fightin' bigger opponents, this I feel as well."

Godric and I dropped our gazes to Sookie in surprise. We hadn't felt dishonesty flair and were getting a steady read of pleasure, so she wasn't shielding a lie with her blood. In fact, we could feel her confidence. Sookie genuinely felt this, her instincts screamed it, but Thalia hadn't taken another under her wing to train in at least a thousand years, so we both braced ourselves for her negative reaction.

Instead Thalia blew us away.

"Yes I will, we will begin a week from now, little one. You are mine to train. Godric will call me, yes?" she said as she turned and glared at him.

The vampires in the room actually broke out into conversation that could be heard by the human ear at this while Godric nodded, open-mouthed. For them, it was like shouting to another across a room. They were that surprised by Sookie ordering Thalia to train her and Thalia complying like it was the most natural thing in the world and claiming Sookie as her apprentice.

The older vampires, including me and Godric, were stunned for a very different reason. Thalia had not only refused to train anyone in the last thousand years, but those she did train were always older than five hundred. Sookie was just over a month old, yet Thalia had agreed to it. Being trained by Thalia was beyond impressive and ideal. She was similar to Sookie's physique and though Godric could beat her, she was the next best thing. She could probably kick my ass to Timbuktu. The only downside to this training was Sookie would definitely be known throughout the state by the end of the night. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about that, it was already too late to have that conversation privately.

On the other hand, maybe Vampire Sookie had done that on purpose?

Nobody would dare challenge a pupil of Thalia's. If Sookie disappeared or died before she was through with her training (which would take several years to complete), Thalia would hunt down the offender and _nobody wanted Thalia to hunt them down._ As the thought occurred to me, my blood echoed it and Sookie's blood responded by humming in agreement, so I sent her a push telling her I was impressed. That was great strategic thinking. She smiled, still looking at Thalia, and laced our tie with affection and gratitude. I ran my fingers along her throat again to show her my own pleasure.

After another fifteen minutes of bantering with Godric and Sookie, Thalia nodded to all of us, lingering on Sookie with a pleased smile, before explaining she had a meeting but would see us next week.

Okay, she said _see_ _Sookie_ but no way in hell was I going to miss that.

After Thalia left the club, Godric and I looked down at Sookie. Her emotions expanded a little more with every step away from us Thalia took. Now, she was nearly normal, still tucked into me but not moving as languidly. She smiled at us and laughed ruefully before saying, quietly, "I already know." She then cocked an eyebrow and tugged on us twice and suddenly we understood _what_ she knew, everything about Thalia and who she mentors. She listened to other vampire minds while Thalia was here, so she knew Thalia rarely trained anyone, let alone someone not at least half a millennium old.

I really shouldn't have been so shocked around her anymore, and yet I also knew that would never change. She would keep shocking me for eternity.

I swear I felt her blood hum in agreement when I thought that too.

"Did you know Thalia never smiles? Let alone laughs? You gave some fangirls heart attacks tonight. They'll probably form your own club in gratitude," I said with a grin, delighted when she laughed.

We shot the breeze for a few more minutes before Godric and I felt her hunger and thirst mounting. Slowly, her emotions tightened again and she became more predatory, scenting the air occasionally and eyeing the necks of people walking by. I cocked an eyebrow at Godric, who met my eyes and slowly nodded. Anticipation thrummed through us both and we turned our gazes to Sookie.

"Are you thirsty, child?" Godric asked.

Immediately, Sookie stilled and her fangs dropped, making mine drop and setting off a hysterical chain reaction around the club. Gasps shot up around the room as vampires released their fangs and the air in the club became heavier and tenser.

"Yes," she hissed and vampires around us growled in pleasure.

"No feeding in the bar," I warned subvocally to the surrounding vampires. Reluctantly, the vampires in the club retracted their fangs but kept their eyes glued on Sookie, knowing perfectly well she was about to choose a feed and the rule didn't apply as strictly to the bloodline of the sheriff and the owners of the club.

"Sookie, I want you to look around and examine the people here," Godric instructed. Sookie's gaze shifted from his face to the people of the bar, gliding over the frozen vampires angled towards her, and moving from throat to throat, reveling in their beating pulses. "Sookie, focus on their faces. You're going to select one this time based on the face, the body, the way they act, not on the scent."

Sookie adjusted her gaze, stunning the vampires present that a month old newborn could focus enough during bloodlust to look up from a pulse.

"Look for the type of person you want to protect, someone you wish you could make leave this club and walk away from vampires forever. Someone you wouldn't want to hurt, let alone drain," he said.

Her eyes flew over the crowd rapidly, like she wasn't really looking at them, but searching nonetheless. I realized, with pleasure, she was focusing on their inner voices, truly looking for someone who she wanted to protect from the predators in the room. Finally, her eyes stopped moving and her gaze narrowed. We followed the direction of her gaze and Godric's fangs finally dropped. Sookie had indeed chosen her prey.

Over in the corner of the club was a tall, lanky brunette sitting with a couple friends. She was beautiful but not in the stereotypical way. Her beauty was all in the behavior. She was innocent, pure, full of excitement and hope. She included everyone around her yet a very shy vibe radiated off of her. The girl sensed eyes on her and looked over at us and immediately blushed. Sookie growled, which ironically made the other vampires hiss. I shot Godric mirth and he let a small smile slip out.

"Okay, Sookie. You're going to approach her, ask her permission to feed from her, and bring her downstairs. What will you do if she says no?" Godric asked.

Sookie tensed, protectiveness flared up, astounding us for a brief second before she quietly and honestly told us what she would do, "Glamour her to leave and never come back, master. She's not safe here."

Pleasure and surprise erupted in us both and we sent her enough affection to make her purr again while the vampires around us gaped at her in astonishment. They couldn't believe a newborn this young would offer protection to her prey if she couldn't feed on her. Every vampire in the bar had just gotten the message that Sookie was unique, that they hadn't seen anything like her before. With that realization quickly came another, if they didn't know what to expect from her, they shouldn't ever challenge her. Sookie had just set a precedent.

"I agree, Sookie. She's not safe here," Godric said. "Offer to feed on her and we'll protect her, whether she allows you or not. Tonight, she's yours."

Possessiveness flared up for a brief minute, just like her instinct to protect, and Sookie growled, "Mine."

I slid out from the booth to allow Sookie to get free, eyeing the enthralled vampires in the club as I did. Nobody even glanced at me, all too focused on the baby vamp who had selected her prey.

Sookie gracefully stood up from the booth, looked up at me for a second, and grabbed the collar of my jacket to pull me down for a kiss. Surprise and pleasure fluttered through me and I felt her lust hit the highest peak I'd ever felt from her. She surprised me again when she voluntarily pulled back after a tender and lingering kiss and pure glee ignited in my veins. Sookie had just claimed me in front of the area vampires. I never thought I'd ever let somebody stake a claim on me, let alone enjoy it.

But I did. In fact, I relished it.

She turned around, fluidly moving from one claim to another of a very different sort. As she walked across the club, weaving in out of the dancers and drinkers, the other vampires studied her body. Sookie moved like a large cat of a prey, limberly like a lion. Occasionally, she ran her fingers over someone's arm or shoulder if they attempted to catch her eye, but kept moving. Her pace was unhurried and lazy and more than one eye followed her as she passed by. I was sure by the time she made it to her prey, half the bar was watching her.

Slowly, she circled the table, every inch the beautiful, dangerous predator, before she smoothly slipped herself in between her prey and a chair. Sookie leaned down and whispered in the girl's ear, the girl who had been watching since she felt eyes on her. Her prey said something and Sookie's tinkling and musical laughter filled the air. She whispered something else to the girl and purred when she got her answer, making the other present vampires in the room rumble, growl, and hiss with pleasure.

Sookie had caught her prey.

She held her hand out to the girl, who gladly took it. Another thing vampires hadn't often seen before, touching a human willingly, even pleased to be doing it. They stared, mesmerized, as Sookie pulled the girl to her feet and led her towards the door of the basement, laughing and joking like she was the girl's best friend. Whenever they neared other vampires, they gave her a nod of respect, flashed their fangs in excitement, and parted like the Red Sea.

Godric and I smiled at each other, our anticipation sky-rocketing, and vamped closer, sending gasps and cries of excitement up in the crowd as we did so.

We stopped a few feet behind them, seamlessly transitioning from vamp speed to walking and followed them towards the basement.

"Why's everyone staring, Sookie?" the girl asked.

Sookie gave a small laugh and put the girl at ease by flattering her, "Because I'm walking away with the most appealing creature in the room, Brittany."

Sookie _was_ the most appealing creature in the room.

Brittany laughed and playfully slapped Sookie's shoulder. They made it to the basement door and Sookie opened it while Brittany glanced around the club, noticing us for the first time.

She leaned in towards Sookie and whispered, "Why are they coming with us?"

Sookie's expression morphed into seriousness and she said, "Because I want you to be safe, to feel safe, and that's my maker and his other progeny. They'll protect you, not hurt you, so don't worry. I told you I'm a newborn and we need a guiding hand sometimes."

Surprisingly, instead of tensing at the idea of feeding a newborn and being alone with three vampires, Brittany completely relaxed, shot us a dazzling smile, and _thanked_ us. Surprise shot through us again and we looked at each other with raised eyebrows before following them into the basement.

She really was safe with us, but if this was her first instinct? Well, I could see why Sookie felt she wasn't safe here.

We walked down the steps leisurely, our excitement mounting with each step, before we came to a stop and watched Sookie move, circling her prey, leaning in to scent her and making Brittany giggle.

"Brittany?" Godric asked as he stepped into her line of sight, giving her a soft smile. She nodded, giggling again as Sookie ran her fingers through her hair. "Sookie told you she's a newborn. She has never fed from the source before, do you understand?" She nodded, smiling when Sookie trailed her fingers across her throat. "Have you ever been bitten before, Brittany?" She shook her head nervously and Sookie stilled for a second, protectiveness burning through her veins.

She leaned in and whispered in her ear seductively, "Don't worry, honey. I'll make sure it doesn't hurt, I'll protect you."

If my fangs weren't already down, they would be.

Godric smiled at Sookie, sending her enough affection and pride to make her purr like a delighted kitten and Brittany giggle, before he said, "Sookie, focus on her heartbeat. Focus on the tempo, the steady beat, the music of it. Immerse yourself in that sound and focus solely on the rhythm. You must stop when that rhythm slows."

Godric brought himself closer while I leaned back against the wall, placing himself behind Sookie at vamp speed and wrapping his arms around her waist as she lifted the girl's hair from her neck and scented her skin before slowly ghosting her lips across her jugular. "You've already found the vein, Sookie. That's where you'll puncture her. When you do, don't pull, just allow the blood to flow into your mouth and enjoy it. There's no hurry and pulling on it would make the blood move too quickly, you want to protect her, so don't pull."

Sookie nodded against her skin before taking a slow, seductive breath and licking it gently, making the girl gasp and shudder.

"When the rhythm slows, think about something repulsive to you to stop, something you find unacceptable," he said before leaning closer, tucking his arms tighter around her, and whispered, "Think about her family if you killed her."

Sookie jerked back and hissed at Godric, who backed away with his hands up and a tiny smile on his face. He had nailed it for her. Sookie was Fae, driven by the need to protect her kin. She wanted to protect this girl. Facing the girl's kin after killing her, witnessing that grief, would make her fangs retract in less than a heartbeat, which was perfect.

Sookie slid around the girl so she was facing her, still eyeing Godric warningly over Brittany's shoulder, before she dragged her eyes to meet Brittany's gaze.

"Brittany, I would never hurt you in that way, never send you back to your kin that way, do you understand?" she asked quietly and reached her hand up to stroke her cheek.

The girl shivered under her touch, but it wasn't with fear, she wasn't afraid. Something she very clearly voiced when she told Sookie, "I trust you, Sookie. The fact that you're telling me this now, when you're about to feed, when you're only a newborn? It makes me think I'd probably be safer being bitten by you than any other vampire in the club. You're need to protect me just makes me want to feed you."

Brittany was right. She was definitely safest with Sookie.

Sookie nodded at her and purred with such a genuine and beautiful smile on her face that Brittany's heart skipped a beat. She reached up with her other hand, stroking Brittany from her face to her neck before slipping her other hand to her waist and pulling her flush against her. The girl's arousal filled the room, making Sookie purr again, and she swept her hair from her neck and nuzzled into it before she found a place she wanted to bite. She ran her lips over it teasingly, making her quiver. Then Sookie tasted it, caressed it with her tongue, and numbed the area with her saliva. Brittany whimpered and Sookie began to suck on the site. Just before she bit, Sookie looked up and met my eyes.

And then plunged her fangs in.

It was the single most erotic thing I had ever seen and I moved closer without being aware of it, drawn like a moth to a flame, not breaking eye contact as I moved. I could vaguely feel Godric's incredulousness, mirth, and pure glee running across our bond, but I was too focused on watching Sookie feed to acknowledge any of it. It honestly felt like I'd been glamoured again, everything faded away but Sookie and her feed. When I came within touching distance, I ran my fingers down her cheek and Sookie released a moan that made my mouth water. Her own arousal flooded the room, adding to the already tempting scent, and I actually found myself longing to be her prey.

I didn't realize I already was.

I broke that agonizingly beautiful eye contact and slipped behind her, pressing myself up against her as I ghosted my own mouth along her skin, sliding her braid to the side and scenting her. I dragged my fingers along the outside of her legs, up to her waist, and over her arms to her shoulders as Sookie trembled with pleasure and wrapped one hand around her throat, caressing the front with my thumb, and relished the way her muscles moved every time she swallowed. I looked over her other shoulder to meet Brittany's eyes as she gasped and whimpered. The eye contact was enough for her and caused her immediate climax, making her cry out and sweetening the blood.

Sookie growled in my arms at the enhanced taste, sending delicious aftershocks through Brittany. I raised an eyebrow slowly and kept my eyes on Brittany's as I dropped a lazy, seductive kiss to Sookie's shoulder while I trailed my free hand back down to her waist and slipped it between them, making them both moan. I grazed my hand over the front of Sookie's jeans and Sookie trembled once more, her lust reaching a new level. I sent her a push for permission, desperately wanting her to be completely sated during her first feed, but not to feel taken advantage of, and rumbled with surprised pleasure when she pushed back her consent.

I teasingly stroked her through the fabric for a second before I pushed my hand beneath the band of her jeans, past her already moist panties, and gently massaged her between her folds. I then tapped her twice on her sensitive clit, which was enough by itself to send her over the golden edge as she drank. Every gentle touch felt magnified by a hundred in a state of bloodlust.

Exactly why my fangs nearly dropped when I found out Sookie had yet to experience sex as a vampire.

I dipped my fingers lower, bringing her down gently, while still keeping eye contact with Brittany, before gently pulling my hand free, raising it to my lips and sucking the sweet juices from my fingers. I let my own moan escape at the ambrosia-like taste of sunshine, wheat, and honey on my tongue. Brittany flushed, making her scent even headier, but the temptation didn't get to Sookie and she even gentled her pace, drinking even slower, letting her mouth fill completely before she swallowed. When Brittany's heart slowed, I brought my lips to her ear and whispered against it, "Now, Sookie. Now."

Immediately, which was enough to surprise me again, she retracted her fangs. She lazily sealed the wound, trailed her tongue over the marks she made, and lapped up the remaining blood before she put a very tender kiss over the wound and whispered, "Thank you, honey," against her skin.

I pulled Sookie back against me, raised my hand from her throat to her jaw to turn her face towards mine, and kissed her passionately, reveling in the taste of Brittany's blood on her lips. Eventually I slowed the kiss and caressed her mouth unhurriedly with my own until we both pulled back. It may have appeared like her submission, but we both knew full well it had been mine. She had reeled me in with the most seductive bait I had ever seen.

And I was more than fine with it.

"Wow," Brittany murmured, floored.

We both turned our gazes back to Brittany simultaneously and I trailed my fingers teasingly back to Sookie's throat before wrapping my hand around it once more and tracing her jugular vein. I slid my arm across her waist, letting her do what she needed to, but keeping her firmly tucked against me.

After a show like that? Well, it was a lot like the night she slapped me.

She was MINE.

" _Brittany_ ," Sookie purred. Her voice became edgier, steeped in sex, as she spoke, making me realize she was now glamouring her while I wondered at the same time if she was trying to kill me with my own lust, "you enjoyed that, it didn't hurt al all, but when you go home, you'll think about it and realize the sexual tension from feedin' is too much for you and you don't wanna hang around with vampires anymore."

I smirked. Brittany enjoyed the sexual tension. She got off on it.

Literally.

Brittany sighed wistfully and said, "Yeah that felt great, but it was SO intense."

Sookie nodded with a smile and finished with, "You'll go upstairs and tell your friends you're tired and wanna go home."

She yawned and nodded before walking up the stairs, as she got to the top, she called out, "Bye, Sookie! I'm tired, so I'm going home."

Godric and I both chuckled at that. Brittany considered Sookie a friend.

"Well, Sookie," Godric smiled while drowning her in pride, encouragement, pleasure, and a little relief, "no command, no order, Eric told you it was time and you just pulled back. I'm honestly not surprised, I told you not to worry, that you have great control. I think one or two more feedings and you won't even need anyone in the room with you."

My blood immediately protested and they laughed.

"I said _need,_ Eric, not want," Godric pointed out and I nodded, still not pleased with the idea of her feeding without me. I enjoyed it _way_ too much. Godric shot me a devilish smile and mischief began to build in his blood. I groaned, knowing what was coming, and tucked my face into Sookie's neck. "In fact, Sookie, if I'm not mistaken, you pulled in two separate targets at once. I think you had lured in Eric, a 1,000 year old vampire, before he even realized he was being hunted."

Sookie blushed in the blood and I laughed against her skin. She blushed? After everything she just did?

 _Really?_

I shot her full of mirth and disbelief and she sent me a push telling me to go stab myself with a toothpick, which only made me laugh harder.

"I will concede to that, Godric," I said as I lifted my head again, speaking to Godric but angling my face down to Sookie and bringing my mouth to her ear so I could trace it with my teeth and gently suck her lobe between my lips. "I was drawn in like a magnet," I whispered. "But Sookie is _welcome_ to hunt me like that, _anytime_ ," I purred and nipped at her neck, enjoying the way her body shivered.

"I should just glamour you both to forget it," she muttered.

"That reminds me, Sookie," Godric said and gave her a tender smile, "As your maker, I command you never to glamour me without my permission. I know you wouldn't, but I have to be _sure_. If you ever get in trouble, I need to be sure I know everything."

Sookie nodded and pushed acceptance to him, completely understanding.

And then she had to say, "I can still glamour Eric, though, right?"

"Godric?" I called. "Couldn't you add my name to that command?" I was only half-kidding.

Mischief rose once again in his blood and I shoved exasperation his way, hoping to make him hesitate.

Of course, he didn't and instead said, "I don't think so, Eric. She may need leverage on you at some point and glamouring you to forget something like her first feeding?" He whistled. "That would be quite the punishment."

I knew he was yanking my leg, but one of the words he said resonated with me, _punishment._ Last night, Vampire Sookie ripped her tie away from me in punishment. Would the predator in her even _care_ when she was in that mode if she took away something like a memory from me? Her punishments were psychologically painful, and being forced to forget anything like tonight would be one of the most painful punishments I could think of. Afterwards I'd completely forget any of it even happened.

If she took away tonight? I'd lose a memory of the first time I saw her hunt, the first time I saw her feed…

And the first time I brought her pleasure.

I never wanted to forget _any_ of it.

The more I thought about the possibilities, the more unsettled I became and the more my alarm, anxiety, and trepidation grew.

"Eric, stop," Sookie said forcefully, gently pulling my hand from her throat so she could turn around and cup my face with her hands. "Hey, we were messin' with you. If the idea bothers you that much, Godric can command me, but I give you my word I would never take away an important memory, or any memory, in punishment. Are you worried I'd take away somethin' important to who you are?"

I looked into her gorgeous brown eyes and shook my head slowly while I explained, "No." I placed my hands on her hips and tugged her a little closer as I clarified, "I'm worried you'd take something important for me to understand who _you_ are, like anything that has happened in the last two nights."

She smiled softly, brushed some loose hair from my forehead, and quietly said, "Why you gotta say things like that you big, crazy Viking?"

I smiled just as softly back and said, "Sookie, the vampire in you is in charge of the punishments. Can you honestly tell me you'll be _worried_ enough in that mode to keep yourself from glamouring something away if that side of you thinks it's the best punishment? That you'd even _care_?"

She nodded vehemently and pushed conviction as she said, "Yes. No matter what mode I'm in, I would care about that. No matter what side of me, whether I feel emotions or not, I still have the same convictions, the same core, and life principles. Even when my emotions didn't come back, when all you felt from me was static? I knew that I was my emotions, knew that my emotions made me who I am and I went to Godric for help to bring 'em back... And last night my vampire side agreed with all of you at first, Vampire Sookie thought of all the nifty and manipulative things we could do to make our lives easier with that program. The other side of me saw the harm, how it could hurt you, so it cranked all of my emotions up until my feelings were everything, so that all I could do _was_ _care_ and took the control away from her. Glamouring a memory away would _hurt you_ , Eric, and my other side would step in, just like it did last night, if she ever thought Vampire Sookie was capable of hurtin' you. _I will always protect my kin._ " She then laid her palm over my unbeating heart and added, "And that means protectin' this too.'

"The only way I can see myself actually glamouring anythin' from you is if it were necessary to protect you. I give you my word, Eric. I will not use glamour as a punishment, and I've never broken my word, in either mode. Listen to my blood, Eric, because it's hummin' in agreement and has been the whole time, so my vampire side agrees with what I've said."

I was an idiot.

Her blood _was_ humming in agreement, but I didn't need to feel that to know she was absolutely right. Everything she had just done proved Sookie was right. No matter what race- human, fairy, vampire- she was still Sookie at her core. Protectiveness had flared up _for_ _her prey_ twice while she was in _bloodlust_ , so how would she feel about her kin then? Her nature, everything that made her Sookie, would not allow her to hurt her kin, ever, and it would hurt me if she stole that memory from me.

She was right about Fairy Sookie too. The Fae side of her would take over, just like it did last night when it shut down her emotions to keep us safe, if she thought the vampire in her could potentially hurt her kin. It just frightened me, caused actual fear in me, to think I could lose a piece of Sookie, to think she could be taken from me in _any way_. I just got her back and I'd only had two nights with her since, so those two nights had suddenly become more precious to me than anything else in the entire world.

I quickly swept Sookie into an embrace, pulling her in so close that we could be considered one being, and wrapped my arms tightly around her. Sookie's arms held me just as tightly and she tucked her head into my chest while I dropped an affectionate kiss on her hair and flooded her with understanding, remorse, apology, warmth, affection, awe, and gratitude.

"I'm an idiot," I whispered, sharing my revelation with her. "You're right and I don't need to listen to your blood to know that. I was just thinking about my last punishment, about you ripping away the tie, and the idea you could rip away one of the few memories I have of you where you're in my arms… frightened me, Sookie. It frightened me and I'm sorry I didn't think it through," I admitted in a low, thick voice.

I chanced a look at Godric who was leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed and a soft smile on his face. He gave me a nod and sent me familial love as he watched us. I truly hoped he didn't really think I would ever treat Sookie like I did Nora.

When I met Nora, I begged Godric to turn her because she had impressed me, she was one of the first to impress me in hundreds of years, but I didn't _feel_ for her. We still had a charged sexual relationship (or I guess _did have_ , since I already knew Sookie was the monogamous type) whenever we met up, but we couldn't stand each other for very long and truly did fight like siblings. My brotherly love for Nora was completely different than the feelings I had for Sookie. I had love for Sookie before she was even turned, but I had absolutely none for Nora at the time of her turning. We'd grown to have familial love, which I think Nora sometimes confused with romantic love, and indulged in sexual relations. With Sookie, I _loved_ her and we hadn't even had sex yet. I needed Godric to trust me with her, needed him to know I'd rather die than purposefully hurt her. There was only one way I could think of to assuage any of those fears though.

I narrowed our bond, like he had done several times since he opened it, threw up a powerful blood shield and sent him the one feeling that could change his mind about how he thought I would treat his youngest progeny if he truly did have doubts. I sent him the love I had for Sookie.

Our bond rippled with shock, then disbelief, amazement, joy, pride, understanding, tenderness, and, finally, with an even more powerful dose of the love Godric had for me. A blood tear slid down his cheek and he quickly caught it and wiped his face to hide it from Sookie. Slowly, I reigned in the emotion again and sent him protectiveness, telling him I wouldn't hurt her, and not just because I wanted her.

Because I loved her.

He nodded my way and embraced me with thankfulness, a sense of vindication (he practically cried out " _I knew it!_ "), and immense relief. The relief said it all, he had hoped I loved Sookie, even felt vindicated now that he knew I absolutely did, and he had hoped that I wouldn't bring her to my bed and expect her to leave it sometime in the future, but hadn't been positive. Now he was sure. Now he knew.

And maybe, just maybe, he would trust me to be alone with her.

"Eric?" Sookie asked me, her voice small and muffled against my chest, but I wasn't ready to let go yet. She appeared to be okay with that because she pulled her arms tighter, pulling me closer instead of pushing me away.

"Sookie?" I asked in the same tone and Godric chuckled.

"I'm sorry my punishment worried you that much. I don't want you to worry like this. Honestly, and you can ask Godric, my punishments almost always have to do with manipulation, so if you don't try to manipulate me, everythin' else should really be okay," she said in a hushed tone. I nodded and sent her understanding but didn't speak yet, I could tell she wasn't finished.

"I found out minutes after I rose I was manipulated into fallin' in love, manipulated into gettin' involved in the vampire world, literally manipulated with blood, and I felt those manipulations led to my death. Even though I honestly believe my turning is a good thing, manipulation is still what makes me snap. When I rose and discovered all this, Godric promised me he would teach me how to recognize it when I was being manipulated, he promised to teach me to turn the tables on them, to become the hunter instead of the prey. I've learned some already, which is why I seem to be a good schemer, but I shut down when I feel manipulated. That's what happened when I ripped the tie away. Don't manipulate me and you won't have to worry about punishments," she said, barely breathing the last words.

I sent her apology again. I honestly hadn't known how much she had been manipulated before, but I shouldn't have tried it anyway. I plotted to manipulate her yesterday because I was too chicken-shit to straight up ask her about strengthening our tie. It wasn't the first time I had done it though, and I felt like a coward when I realized that. I could literally feel from her blood that had I just been honest with her, she would've helped me no matter what. She would've helped me with Longshadow, would've helped me find my maker, and would've sat down and worked out everything with me just like she had last night when I gave her everything she needed to know about the werewolves. I internally cringed when I thought about how both times I had manipulated her she had been attacked, first by Longshadow, then by the Fellowship. No wonder she had snapped yesterday. She'd only ever been manipulated by vampires, Godric being the exception.

"Sookie… I'm truly sorry I manipulated you with Lafayette to get you to Dallas and that I didn't tell you Godric was my maker," I confessed. "I'm sorry I kept that from you-" she cut me off by literally slapping her hand over my mouth.

She pulled back to look up at me and whispered, "Don't. Don't open that can of worms, Eric. _I've never regretted my choice._ I never plan to either. The manipulation that haunts me is the one that led to the loss of my virginity to a monster, that led to the death of my gran, that focused a serial killer on me, and was gonna enslave me to a childish queen, not the one that led to my turning because, even though it was violent, my turning was a _good thing_. Maybe the best decision I ever made. So you get a pardon for that one. I'm just explainin' why I punished you that harshly so you understand how to _avoid_ gettin' another one, mkay?" She finished with a pat to my cheek.

I pushed understanding towards her and she dropped her hand. Everything was way too tense down here so I lightened the mood by purring in her ear, " _I do love it when you order me around_ , lover."

She shot me with mirth, gave me a final squeeze, and let me go. Since it would be odd if I kept holding Sookie after she dropped her hands, I reluctantly removed my own. She may or may not have burst out laughing when she actually felt my reluctance in our tie.

The door to the basement crashed open a second later and darling Pam waltzed in.

"Well, I'm glad the three of you are enjoying yourselves," she said as she scented the air, smelled sex, and winked at Sookie, who immediately blushed in the tie. "No big deal upstairs. I didn't just have to _work my ass off_ dealing with vampires about to snap into a feeding frenzy or anything."

Sookie's brow furrowed and she pushed her confusion to all three of us through the blood. She had been in bloodlust, focused first on the pulses of the living around her and then singularly focused on her prey, so she had no idea she'd had an audience of older vampires when she hunted.

I chuckled ruefully, rubbed the back of my head with my hand, before I admitted, "About that, Sookie. The vampires of the area are _extremely_ intrigued by you. They watched you select your prey, stalk her, and claim her. I had to force them all to retract their fangs at one point and remind them no biting in the club. They've never seen a baby vamp act the way you do, like an ancient on the prowl, so they became a little too _involved_ while they watched you hunt."

Can't say I was shocked when she blushed again.

"Yes, well put, master," Pam nodded. "After you disappeared though, I literally had to order them to back down all over again and kick several of the more aggressive ones out. The ones remaining are all very curious about _Auntie_ Sookie and wondering why she's taking so long since her dinner walked out a while ago, smelling like she enjoyed herself _immensely_."

"Well, then," Sookie croaked. She cleared her throat unnecessarily, straightened her spine, and gracefully waved her hand towards the stairs as she said, "Let's not keep my adorin' public waiting."

"By the way, master, it's almost nine and you have some requests to see to," Pam added.

Godric then reached his elbow out to Sookie so she could tuck her hand in in the crook of it and said, "Well, child, it looks like we need to give the paparazzi a small glimpse and make a break for the Jeep if we want to get to Bon Temps tonight."


	18. Chapter 18: Family Reunion

**_A/N:_**

 _Shit, you all are gonna make me blush. I freaking love your reviews! When I was reading them, I checked out the viewer stats and I got to say, I had no idea how many other countries were on this site. Apparently, I have a reader from Sweden. That knowledge alone is killing me._

 _Okay, whose up for a trip to Bon Temps? Yes, it is taking a while to work through the season 3 plot, but this story is ultimately about Sookie's life as a vampire. The TB plot isn't the main focus. Her and her family (bloodline and all) are._

 _I used TB quotes in this one. I couldn't help it, I loved Jason's lines on the show and I had to use a few. I used them in a new way though! Props for that, right?_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO own True Blood and SVM. I own nothing. I just check out their characters and plots like a library book._

* * *

 **SPOV**

After we greeted the vampires of the area, again, Godric and I made a sneaky escape and headed out. We stopped by the store to buy some supplies for the house (plus furniture, a little decor, True Blood, and other necessities for the new day-rest area beneath it), loaded up the Jeep, arranged for the furniture to be delivered, and finally made our way to Bon Temps.

Made our way _home_.

I could feel my body unwinding the closer we got, like the very air around my hometown was beneficial to my emotional and physical well-being.

Of course, that piece of relaxation only lasted until we were a mile from Jason's house. Godric had to practically sedate me with the bond on the way there. I was just way too nervous and emotional over the thought of seeing him again. My bond with Godric was practically bursting with emotions and he had to start suppressing them. My anticipation and excitement levels were through the roof, so was my fear and trepidation. I was scared shit-less, yet full of sisterly affection, joy to be reconnecting, hope for our relationship, concern for how he was handling his grief, sorrow for not contacting him sooner, guilt for dying at all, faith we could get past it, and so many other things that I literally painted an emotional mosaic across the bond.

When we pulled up, Godric had to actually command me to wait until he parked before I got out.

As soon as he pulled the key from the ignition, I was at the Jason's front door with my finger frozen above the doorbell, too terrified to actually press it. Godric, my anchor, calmly walked up beside me, looked at my hand, the bell, and my hand again before he wrapped his own around mine and pressed it to the doorbell while flooding me with mirth and reinforcing me with strength.

When the door flew open seconds later, Jason was pulling out his wallet, mumbling about how Hoyt ought to pay for his own food if he was going to order in, and not paying attention. When he looked up, his face literally drained of all its color and he slammed the door shut again. Godric and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows and faces full of concern as we listened to Jason yelling at Hoyt that he should have him committed because he was losing it and hallucinating seeing his sister running around with "some teenage punk! I swear I'm losing it man! I'm losing it…"

Godric pressed the doorbell once more, obviously hoping Hoyt would answer and we could prove to Jason that he was not going insane.

Hoyt, being the sweetheart he is, did re-open the door, already apologizing when he realized it really was me and slammed the door shut again.

"Fuck! That _was_ her, Jason! I saw her, I saw her too. It's her, man!" he shouted.

They fell into a moment of silence, during which I had to snatch Godric's finger away from the doorbell again with a glare, before we heard Jason say, in a very weak voice, "You need locked up, too? We're both losing it?"

We tried. We really, really did, but that was too much and we broke out in fits of body-shaking, knee-slapping laughter.

When they heard us laughing away hysterically, Hoyt decided to brave the dangers of door answering one more time and pulled it open just a crack to take a peek as he murmured, "Sookie? Sookie Stackhouse? That _really_ you?"

I nodded and shot him a soft smile as I said, "Yes, Hoyt. I'm not a ghost or a hallucination. I didn't truly die in Dallas, but I gotta talk to Jason about why he was told I did."

See what I did there? _Truly die?_ I died, just not the true death, so I chose my words very carefully.

"Put the gun down, Jason! It's her. She said she didn't really die in Dallas and needs to tell you why you were told that," Hoyt snapped to his right, where Jason was obviously loading a gun.

Okay, not what I told Hoyt _word for word_.

"Jason?" I called out and immediately heard the gun clatter to the floor and bullets roll around on the wooden boards.

"Sookie?" he called back, repeating my tone exactly.

"Jason Stackhouse, get over here and give me a hug or I'm gonna tell all of Bon Temps that you once thought a three-legged race meant racin' three-legged dogs!" I shouted, trying desperately not to laugh when the bond went through an uproar of Godric's mirth and incredulousness.

The door then flew violently open and literally knocked Jason into my arms when it rebounded off the wall and smacked into him from behind. While Godric fell into stunned silence, for all of three seconds, before he started laughing so hard he nearly toppled over, Jason and I were locked in the world's tightest bear hug. Of course, it was a vampire's gentlest bear hug on my part because I didn't want to literally squeeze the life out of him.

"Sookie-Sookie-Sookie-Sookie-Sookie," Jason breathed, repeating my name like a mantra or a penitent prayer of Hail Mary.

I lifted one of my hands and stroked his hair as he nuzzled into me, taking comfort in my arms while dozens of salty tears ran down his face.

"I'm sorry, Jason. I'm so sorry that you thought I was dead and gone, I'm sorry you felt you were alone, sorry for every minute," I whispered.

He pulled back to look at me and traced my face with disbelieving hands, touching every feature I had to prove to himself I was really here.

"Sook, I thought you were dead! I thought I was the only one left!" He paused and traced my face again before quietly stating, "Sook, you and me, we're all that's left. _Our whole family's gone_. Everybody who counts. We're all alone. We're all that's left." His voice fell into a barely audible whisper at the end and his whole mind was crying out, "Thought it was just me left. Thought I was the only one, she's back. She's back, she's back, not alone anymore."

I nodded, slid my hands up to his cheeks, and said, "So you know what we gotta do. We gotta grow up. We gotta stick together and _we_ _gotta_ be good to each other or we're lettin' them down." He nodded vehemently, agreeing with me. "Jason, that starts with invitin' us in so we can talk about it all. Can we come in?"

"Yeah! Yeah, of course, Sook. Both of ya, come on in," he said and backed up through the door as if he were afraid I'd disappear again when he turned his back on me.

Hoyt was standing just inside completely thunderstruck. I smiled at him, which seemed to be enough to wake him up and he opened his arms wide and hugged me, "It's sure good to see ya, Sookie. Last time I saw you was before Dallas and Vampire Bill told me you died there. He told me and Jess that night that he felt it in his blood, that there was no way you lived but here you are!"

I pulled back with a smile, not knowing quite what to say but that I needed to say something soon, because there was actually a very big change with fangs standing quietly in the corner of the room just waiting to be acknowledged. We settled down onto the couches and Godric gave me a large push of encouragement. I sent him gratefulness, sighed, and began, "That's actually what I gotta talk to you about, Jase. When I went to Dallas, I was sent in to look for a vampire…"

I then summarized everything that happened to me for Jason. Godric and I took turns answering his questions and asking him ones in return. Apparently, Jason had been a member of the Light of Day Institute at the Fellowship, training to be a Soldier of the Sun. I peeked into his mind and ransacked all the information I could, which is how I learned that he started truly doubting things about their teachings, but it didn't really all go to shit until he slept with Sarah Newlin.

"I tell ya, Sook. The Newlins? Well, that's one crazy bitch and a son of a witch. I found out from Sarah that they had you, broke free of her, and came back looking for ya. All I found was blood," his voice broke and tears started forming all over again. I reached out and wrapped him up in a sideways hug, snuggling him into me as we sat on the couch. He collected himself and added, "The alarms had been blaring for a while and I managed to sneak back out by using this lame ass 'honesty ring' and my paintball gun to impersonate a Soldier of the Sun and slip off the compound while they were lookin' for the vampire. I had hoped that blood was Gabe's, Sook. When I got back though and after we dealt with all the maenad shit, that tall, blonde vamper told me you were dead. It was your blood then, huh, Sook?" I nodded. "Then how're you still alive?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm _not_ , Jase. I'm a vampire. That Gabe tried to rape me…" I then told him all about my life as a vampire for the last month, having Godric as a maker, and about my bloodline. Jason took everything incredibly well, just thrilled to have his sister back again. "I knew I wouldn't make it out of that basement alive, and I kept thinking about how I would never see you or anyone else I loved ever again. When Godric gave me the choice, I said yes hoping I'd make it back here to see you all again. I wasn't ready to let you go. I chose my family, I chose you. Yeah, maybe sometimes I wanna put a bucket on your head and kick it 'round the yard, but you're _my_ brother and I love you too much to leave you here alone."

He started laughing while he wiped his tears away and said, "Well, I guess this means I won't be gettin' anymore home cooked meals."

I chuckled and gently squeezed his hand as I shook my head and said, "I'd me more than happy to cook for you, Jase, if you don't mind eatin' while I drink True Blood."

He smiled a goofy smile and said, "I wouldn't mind at all, sis. I'd just be thrilled we can still eat as a family."

Hoyt then cleared his throat, bringing our attention to him, as he stood and reluctantly said, "Well, I gotta head out. Momma's waiting on me and I'm already late." We all stood up and I hugged him again while he added, "I'm glad you're back, Sook. It's not the same without you. Bon Temps needs more than one Stackhouse in it."

I nodded with a smile and gave him another small squeeze before letting go. Godric followed Hoyt to the door and quickly glamoured him into telling nobody I was here until tomorrow, so I'd have a chance to tell the people I loved first, while I sat back down with Jason and distracted him.

"Jase, I gotta tell you some other things about me. Important things, but it's kind of risky knowing. I don't wanna put you in danger, so Godric will glamour you when I'm done not to tell anybody. That way you'll remember everything but won't accidentally say anything about it and other vampires won't be able to force you to reveal anything about me, is that okay?" I asked. Godric was going to glamour him whether he gave us permission or not though. Everyone else I was planning to talk to would get a choice, but not my brother. Jason often randomly stopped by the farmhouse, so eventually he would discover I was a day-walker and it'd be better to explain it now than have him freak out on me later.

"Uh, sure, Sook. Whatever you gotta do," he said while scratching his head, puzzled.

I took another unneeded breath and began to tell him about fairies and how we both had fairy blood. I explained what an essential spark was and that I had one, which was why I was telepathic. I told him we figured this out when I rose from the grave and that I was likely of the Sky Fae and that the Sky Fae could manipulate sunlight.

Jason just gaped at me and then asked, incredulous, "Fairies are real?"

"Yep," I said as I nodded, "so are werewolves and a lot of other supernatural creatures."

"Big foot? You think he's real?"

"I guess it's possible," I said slowly while Godric bit his lip, trying his hardest not to laugh.

Jason paused to think about it all, then gasped and asked, in a childlike voice with a hopeful expression on his face, " _Santa?_ "

Godric couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed and I bit my cheek hard enough to draw blood to keep myself from joining in. "Jason, focus!" I scolded after I collected myself.

He cleared his throat, snapped himself out of his hopeful stupor, and said, "Right. Go on, Sook."

"My essential spark became stronger when I turned, maybe because vamp blood and the spark are both magical," I shrugged. "But the point is, I can manipulate sunlight now. There's sunlight runnin' through my veins and we found out that this allows me to day-walk. I don't burn in the sun and I don't really die durin' the day, I just fade into something very similar to sleep."

He just stared at me, dumbfounded, for a minute with his mouth open wide enough to catch flies. Finally, he shook his head in disbelief and mumbled, "You never were one to be normal, Sookie."

I smiled softly, squeezed his hand, and said, "I didn't have any say about being normal. We're born the way we are."

"For once, I'm real happy you ain't, Sook. You always loved the sunshine and I'm glad you don't gotta give it up," he said and leaned in to hug me again. "I'm also real happy that I'll still get breakfast and lunch sometimes too."

I laughed and patted his back while I looked at a smiling Godric over his shoulder. Our bond was humming with affection and pleasure. I gave him a small nod and he straightened up from his spot leaning against the wall and walked over to us.

"Jason?" We both broke the hug and Jason looked up at Godric, who immediately pushed his influence towards him. His voice became more hypnotic and seductive as he spoke, "You will never discuss fairies or essential sparks with anybody except us. You will never tell anyone Sookie is immune to sunlight and can day-walk. If anybody ever asks you if there's something different about her or tries to force you to say something, you will tell them Sookie is just like any other vampire."

"Sure," Jason said with a mesmerized expression. "Sook's just like every other vampre, ain't nothing unique about her."

Godric smiled and pulled back, "Thank you, Jason."

"No problem, man," Jason said as his vacant expression became more animated. "I just got my sister back, I don't want no harm to come to her. The next time she dies will be long after I'm gone."

My heart squeezed painfully at the idea. Godric soaked our bond with comfort, love, strength, and support in response. I let the emotions carry away the pain and sent him back a wave of gratitude.

"Jase, I gotta head out to the farmhouse and then head over to Merlotte's to see Sam, Tara, and Lafayette. Do me a favor and don't tell anybody about me until tomorrow so they don't hear it secondhand?" I asked. He nodded and stood up, pulling me to my feet and swept me up in a final hug.

"See you soon, Sook?" he asked and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"Yeah. Godric and I have to take a small trip, just a couple days, so we should be back by the end of the weekend at the latest," I said, rubbing his arms soothingly when he tensed. "I promise you we'll come back. I won't be gone for another month. Then I plan on stayin' in Bon Temps for a good long while."

He relaxed and nodded sheepishly before kissing my cheek again and walking us to the door.

After we said goodbye, Godric slipped his arm over my shoulders and guided me back to the Jeep as he said, "You know, child, it's a nice night. Why don't we drop off our things and then run to Merlotte's? When we're done, we'll just run straight back to Fangtasia. It might do you some good after we get all the hard stuff out of the way."

I pushed agreement to him and caressed our bond, letting him know I liked that idea very, very much. I was much faster than the average newborn, a perk of rising early and being the progeny of a vampire over 2,000 years old when he made me, and I enjoyed a good run. Back in Dallas, I made Godric run everywhere with me, which was something he found hilarious. I loved the feel of the wind on my skin.

I also loved randomly coming to a complete stop in front of strangers and scaring the shit out of them. I got a serious kick out of it.

We spent about ten minutes at the farmhouse, unloading everything at vamp speed and throwing back a couple of True Bloods, before we locked everything back up with new, spiffy James Bond type locks and digital fingerprint scanners (I'd have to get Jason to enter his print later) and took off running in the direction of the bar.

I decided to tell Lafayette before Sam and Tara. I knew deep down in my gut that if anyone would have a problem with my fangs, it was those two. If anyone was going to flat out accept me as I was, it was Lafayette. I wanted to do the easier stuff first. Besides, Tara might just scream it to the whole bar if she was really enraged and this was something my closest friends, my family, should hear directly from me.

Godric sent me an amazing amount of strength as we neared the bar at vamp speed and disappeared behind it before anyone could make out who and what we were. We came to a stop and Godric squeezed my shoulder before letting go and leaning up against the wall where he would wait for me to bring Lafayette out. The kitchen was small, so I planned to reveal myself then bring Laf out back where we would explain some things to him. I shot a nervous smile his way, tuned out everything but the sounds of the kitchen, confirmed Lafayette was alone at the moment, then opened the door and slipped inside.

"Lafayette," I called quietly, making sure to stay out of range of anyone looking through the kitchen window. Lala looked good, happier than when I had last seen him. He was wearing mascara and a little eyeshadow, but not near as much as I was used to seeing. He turned to glance at me when he heard his name then spun right back around and mumbled, "This ain't happening. _This ain't happening to me._ " I was completely baffled by his reaction and tried again, "Lala? Laf?"

"Oh naw. Uh-uh. This ain't happening. I _know_ I is not seeing you's ghost, Miss Sookie Stackhouse. I miss your fine ass and all, but you best not be haunting my kitchen," Lafayette said while vigorously shaking his head.

Mischief started mounting in my blood and I vamped closer to him when he wasn't looking, making it appear like I was, in fact, a spirit.

"I'm not, _I'm haunting you,_ " I then purred. He didn't even flinch, which had me completely confused.

"Naw uh, don't even joke 'bout it. If anybody deserved to go to the light, it's you sweetness, so go on now. Time to move on..." he said while shooing me, apparently, towards the light, before turning back to his grill and flipping a burger. He really did think I was some type of ghost?

"Lafayette?" I asked. He ignored me. "Lafayette, I'm dead, but I'm not a ghost!" I hissed. He finally stopped what he was doing and looked at me closely.

"What you mean? You some type of angel? You do look like you got a kind of glow 'bout you," he said while using all five fingers on his right hand to indicate my supernatural glow, making me very aware he was some type of supe himself. I scented the air discretely and realized I could smell magic around him. It was natural magic too, so Lafayette was some type of a natural born witch. Was he a medium? Was that why he thought I was a ghost?

Focusing again, I shook my head and said, calmly, "Not even close. I'm not an angel and I'm not a spirit. I really _am_ standin' here next to you. Laf, I'm a vampire."

Then I dropped my fangs.

His spatula flew up into the air and hit the pots hanging overhead while he yelled, "Oh shit!"

I retracted my fangs immediately, feeling disappointment and the sting of rejection caused by his reaction, while he gasped frantically and worked to calm his racing heart. Then he blew me away with surprise when he launched himself at me and threw his arms around me. Relief poured through me and I could feel Godric's own relief pulsing through our bond.

"You really is here, girl. You're here! You ain't dead, well you are but you knows what I mean," he whispered as he held me. I scented the smell of tears and squeezed Lafayette gently to comfort him.

"I am, I'm here. I'm sorry I couldn't get word to you before. My maker had me wait, but now we're coming back to Bon Temps. Now, you're stuck with me," I whispered. I hadn't said Godric commanded me, because I really didn't want to lie more than I already had to, but I alluded to the possibility.

He pulled back, sliding his hands to my shoulders, and asked, "Your maker? That fool Compton do this to you, Sookie? I'll stake him myself if he did. I know you love him and all, but he's a bastard. He wouldn't even tell us what happened to you! We found out from Jason, plus he tried to force me to sell V, girl."

I grimaced, since I knew Lafayette had been glamoured to think that because of my own idea, but what I said was, "No, he isn't my maker. And, yes, he is a bastard. As far as _Bill_ knew," even his name tasted bitter on my tongue, "I met the true death in Dallas. I was sent into the Fellowship of the Sun to look for a 2,000 year old vampire. The guy who went in with me tipped them off and they locked me up in the basement. One of the men there attacked me. When Godric, the vampire I was lookin' for, found us and pulled him off of me, it was too late. I was already dying. Godric gave me a choice and I chose to be turned. I chose my family and friends, I chose to come back to _you_ , because you are my family, and becoming vampire was the only way to do that." I stroked his arms while I told him this. His mascara ran as tears slipped down his face, but he smiled at me when I told him why I made the choice I did.

He realized his make-up was running and used a finger to wipe away his raccoon eyes as he chuckled out, "Oh Lordy, I will look a hot mess now… You're here! You's alive! I missed you, girly. Bon Temps just ain't the same without Sookie Stackhouse in it. And I am so relieved Bill wasn't the one to turn you, Sookie. I love you like you my own flesh and blood and I wouldn't wish an eternity with Bill Compton on my worst enemy."

I shuddered at the idea and his eyes narrowed.

"He did somethin' to you, didn't he?" he asked in a dark tone. I tried to shake my head but he insisted, giving me a little shake, "Tell me, Sookie. _What did that vampire do to you?_ "

I sighed and reluctantly stated, "He was sent by his Queen to procure me. Hadley told her about my telepathy, so she sent Bill after me. He glamoured the Rattrays to attack me so he could force his blood on me and used that blood to manipulate me into falling in love with him. He planned on bringing me to her, on enslaving me." I refused to cry about this anymore, so I said it in a somewhat robotic tone of voice.

Lafayette cursed and swept me back up into a hug while he muttered, "I knew Hadley was no good. I ever sees her again and she will get a whoopin'. As for Bill, I'll stake him." I believed him, he would.

I laughed and said, "Don't worry 'bout him. The Magister is looking for him because of the V. Eric told me you called in a tip for that. Thank you, Lafayette. When they catch him, they'll make sure he'll never come 'round here again. They'll punish him for his crimes."

"Good," he grunted, squeezing me tightly again before he pulled back and asked curiously, "You like being a vampire?"

I nodded enthusiastically and said, "I do, surprisingly. I never thought about being a vampire before, but now that I am one, I feel like this is what I was s'posed to be."

He sighed with relief, then dropped his voice to barely above a whisper and asked, "You tell Tara yet?"

"No, Lafayette," I said just as quietly. "I just finished telling Jason and now I've told you. I haven't told Tara and Sam yet. I figured they'll probably have the hardest time with it." He nodded in agreement.

"I think she'll react badly, but come to see how _good_ this is. She been through a lot lately. First her boyfriend, I can't remember if you met that fella Eggs or not, got hisself killed after the maenad thingy- you know 'bout that?" I nodded so he continued, "Well, after everyone 'woke up' from Bon Temps own personal mini-Woodstock, he realized he had blood all over his hands. He also had a lot of black outs and he was afraid he'd killed people. He came at Andy with a knife, all worked up and probably thinking he should turn hisself in, and Andy had to shoot him. Then Tara found out 'bout you. She tried to swallow some pills I had in the bathroom and it took a while and a whole lot of talking to make her see she can't give up. All of us, we all survivors and survivors don't give up. Look at you! You fought death itself to keep surviving, Miss Fangs." I had to fight blood tears (nobody needed vamp blood around their food) when he told me about Tara, but he broke the tension real quick and I giggled at what I knew would be a new nickname.

"Damn straight, Lafayette. We don't give up without a fight, not our family. Hey, I want you to meet Godric before I head to Sam's office and deal with Sam and Tara. You got a break?"

He nodded, "I'll go talk to Boss man and meet you out back." I smiled and we broke up our two-man huddle to enact our own plays with him slipping out into the hall and me slipping out the backdoor to meet with Godric out back.

"It went well with Lafayette," he observed. It wasn't a question because he was close enough the entire time to hear if anything went wrong.

"Yes, it did," I agreed. "Listen, I can, uh, I can smell natural magic around him and he thought I was a ghost. I think he might be a natural witch, a medium specifically."

He nodded while contemplating my theory and responded with, "That's most likely. He also said you glow, so you're probably right."

The door then flew open and Lafayette stepped out. He launched himself at me for another hug and pulled back laughing.

"It is so good to see you in the flesh, Miss Fangs," he said with a wide smile. I smiled back and Godric chuckled, probably at my new nickname.

"It's good to see you too, Lala. This is my maker, Godric," I said, introducing him. "Godric, this is Lafayette. He's family."

Godric then did something vampires rarely, if ever, do and held out his hand to shake Lafayette's. Lafayette just stared at his hand like it was an alien artifact.

"You the vampire that done turn Sookie?" he asked slowly. Godric nodded, a little wary, but before he could drop his hand, Lafayette embraced him. I felt Godric's shock as if it were my own. It was one thing for his brand spanking new progeny to hug him in thanks, but quite another for the random human to. By the look on his face, I doubted Godric had ever been hugged by a human in his 2,000 years. Cautiously, he returned the hug and gently patted Lafayette on the back as Lafayette whispered, "Thanks, man. Thanks for saving my girl and for bringing her back to us. We's so lost without her."

"You're… You're welcome," Godric replied. Disbelief coursed through his veins. He couldn't believe a human was _thanking_ him for turning his friend into a _vampire_. I sent him my mirth and we smiled at each other over Lafayette's shoulder. Lala finally pulled back and chuckled.

"That ain't never happened to you before, huh?" he asked. Godric shook his head. "I can tell. You suck at hugs." We then all burst into laughter.

As we quieted down, I sent Godric a request through the bond and felt his consent. We had talked about my day-walking and what to tell everyone before we left Dallas and came to a compromise. If my friends would agree to be glamoured into never speaking about my ability, then I was allowed to tell them I didn't die for the day. That way, if I was discreet and glamoured anyone else that recognized me, I could move about during daylight and still have somewhat of a normal life with my friends. I was also to alter my scent so I would smell completely human in case I came across any of the two-natured or other supes. My glow was much harder to see during the daylight, so the only thing that might give me away, at least around supes, was my lack of heartbeat, which is why I'd have to use my telepathy and a filter to alert me to whenever someone thought about my heart. I'd be Sookie by day, vamper by night. It was a good plan.

"Lala, I gotta tell you something real important, but I can't unless you agree to let us glamour you into never revealing what we discuss," I said carefully.

He looked at me with confusion and repeated, "You wanna glamour me?"

Godric jumped in for me and added, "Yes. If she tells you what she wants to tell you, then you'll have a lot more time to spend with her. You'll be able to see her more. In order for her to tell you this, though, we have to have complete faith in you that not only will you never tell anyone, but that another vampire cannot glamour it out of you. Is this acceptable?"

Lafayette considered everything for a moment before warily asking, "Will I remember everythin' you're doing? This conversation?" When we nodded he added, "Are you gonna take away any memories or make me do something?"

"No, Lala. It's just to make sure that if anyone asks, they can't force you to say anything 'bout this. You'll also be unable to accidentally slip up and let it out without thinking," I explained.

"A'ight, but I want you to do it, Sookie. I trust you with my life and no offense, Godric, but I dunno you yet," he said. I looked to Godric in question. I had glamoured before, but Godric had way more experience than me and he had revealed to me that it was a gift of his, an ability that grew much stronger with age. We didn't know if my glamour would be strong enough to overrule another's.

Godric slowly nodded, looked over at me and said, "You glamour him, then I will test it. If it's strong enough to hold up against my glamour, then nobody will be able to break it."

Unfortunately, I automatically understood what Lala didn't, that Godric would glamour him anyway if it didn't hold up. Maybe I was a bad Christian, but I was okay with that.

"Okay," I said. I turned to meet Lafayette's eyes and revealed my biggest secret to him. "Lafayette, I'm not like most vampires. I rose with a few additional gifts because, it turns out, I wasn't entirely human before I was turned." His eyebrows nearly touched his hairline before I added, "I'm part Fae, which means I'm a fairy. When I was turned, my fairy spark allowed me to day-walk. I don't die during the day, I sleep, and I don't burn in the sunshine." Oddly, Lafayette didn't think the fairy part was weird, just everything else.

"Oh shit!" he said and slapped his hands over his mouth in shock until he calmed down. "You mean I still get to see you during the daylight? Out in the sunshine?" I nodded and gave him a beautiful smile when a tear started to run down his cheek. Following my instincts and not really thinking about how it would look to Lala, I caught the tear and popped it in my mouth. He looked at me funny and said, "That shit is weirder than seeing a vampire in the sun."

Godric laughed and I gave him a sheepish smile and apologized, "Sorry. It's a vamp thing. Laf, do you understand why nobody else can know this? Do you understand why we have to glamour you?"

He nodded, "I do, Sook. Nobody can know 'bout this or they'll try and kill you for it. Humans won't respond well and I get it. Glamour me."


	19. Chapter 19: No Regrets

_**A/N:**_

 _Hoped you all enjoyed that last chapter! I had a blast writing Jason's and Lafayette's reactions. I may have cracked myself up with Jason. Honestly though, how could any reaction he would have not be funny?_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: True Blood and SVM in their entirety belong to HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris. I'm just a wannabe with a charming sense of humor._

* * *

I nodded and looked at Godric. He smiled at me and began instructing me on how to make my glamour stronger, "When you do this, push as far as you can into his mind. This is not like glamouring someone into completing a task or forgetting something that just recently happened. You want to set up a block around everything you just told him. Imagine it's like a two-way mirror. Lafayette will be able to see out, but nobody else will be able to see in and come across that information. Only Lafayette should be able to have access to it."

"Okay," I said with a nod and exhaled. Then I turned back to Lafayette and pulled his mind under my influence.

Everything else fell away as I entered it. I used my telepathy to help me burrow deeper, searching for his memories of me. I wanted to smile when I found them closely tucked into his memories of everyone he considered family, near the epicenter of his mind that held everything fundamental to who he was. I sifted through everything he remembered about me, wincing when I came across his grief, and found everything I just told him. It turned out that he already knew about supernatural creatures, including fairies, because of someone named Jesus, and what I had told him had been like understanding something he hadn't even realized didn't make sense to him. Now, it just all clicked and he understood.

I set up shop around the information about my fae-ness and day-walking, erecting a two-way mirror. After I finished, I realized that this structure wouldn't allow for him to add memories to it. When he saw me in the sunshine any day after this, I would have to glamour him again, so I altered the mirror. I made it more liquid than solid on the outside so that information could still pass into the block, but not come back out. When I pressed my influence against it in experimentation, it rippled, but stayed strong. I also added a door for Lafayette's consciousness to use that could only be opened from the inside. With this new liquid development, the block was a lot more seamless and fluid. It would be hard to locate for anyone other than me.

"Lafayette, you'll never tell anyone else that I am part-fae, that I can day-walk, or anything else about fairies or my additional abilities, okay?"

"Okay, Sookie," he said in a robotic voice, as if he were in a trance.

"If anyone tries to find out, you will retreat in your mind behind the block I created, it'll keep you and everything I told you tonight safe. You won't come back out until they stop trying. You won't even be able to _try_ to tell them about me being Fae or day-walking, will you, Lafayette?" I asked in a seductive, hypnotic tone and smiled, like that fact was funny, to put him more at ease.

"Naw," he laughed. "I can't even try. I'll be safe behind the water."

"Good, Lafayette," I said and pulled myself out gently, patching up all evidence I was even there as I removed my influence. When I pulled out completely, he blinked and smiled.

"Shit, Sook. I could see and feel what you were doing since you didn't glamour me to forget none. You's really good at that. You come in so smooth, like taking a shot of Greygoose instead of Smirnoff," he said and I laughed. Godric furrowed his brows but didn't bother to ask.

"What'd he mean when he said 'behind the water,' child?" Godric asked me, intrigued.

"I realized that, if it were just a two-way mirror, it wouldn't be elastic enough to add more memories and information later. He'd keep my day-walking secret, but I'd have to glamour him into keepin' each and everythin I did out in the sunshine quiet, so I changed the construct. I turned the outside of the two-way mirror into liquid, so more information can pass through it, enter it, but not come back out. I also added a door so Lafayette can retreat behind it if vampires get too aggressive when they push on his mind, one that will only open from the inside. The liquid mirror is designed to let his consciousness and any info about me, fairies, and day-walking pass through it. Once he's inside, he can use the door to get back out, and only he can pass through it, not any info. The mirror is solid on the inside so information can't be removed. In a way, he'll be able to glamour himself about my day-walking from now on," I explained.

"And it ripples when you touch it," Lafayette added in a voice filled with childlike awe. I furrowed my own brows at this and took a peak into his mind. He watched me build the mirror, so he knew where it was and was currently stroking it, playing with it. I giggled.

Godric raised his eyebrows as he listened to my explanation, then his mouth dropped open in astonishment. He filled me to the brim with pride, affection, and pleasure. Eric and Pam sent me curiosity when they felt it and even Lafayette looked impressed, a look which quickly turned into amusement and laughter when I began purring like a tabby cat.

"Aw, Sook," he said when he caught his breath. "You always is taking care of us. You didn't just protect what I knew 'bout you. You's found a way to keep my mind safe too. Thank you, Fangs." He leaned in to give me a hug as he spoke and finished with a kiss to my cheek.

"Anything for family, Laf," I returned with a kiss of my own.

"Lafayette," Godric said, catching his attention, "May I test out Sookie's glamour? We need to make sure she's protected as well."

Lafayette nodded immediately, wanting to make sure I'd be safe too.

I watched with my mind while watching Godric with my eyes. He became slightly more predatory, more vampire, and his voice was steeped in seductiveness. He tunneled through Lafayette's mind, looking for the block, but passed over it. His eyebrow shot up in surprise when he couldn't find it. Finally, he decided to take a different approach and pressed glamour around Lafayette's entire mind as he asked, "What's unique about Sookie, Lafayette?"

"The girl got a heart of gold," he answered back. I laughed and my heart squeezed with love for my friend. I could feel the members of my bloodline basking in the overflow of my love for him. Even Nora and Pam were stroking and caressing it, which made me shiver. Eric appeared to be cloaking himself in it from head to toe, wrapping it around his bonds and ties. I sent him my mirth and he sent me back gratitude and affection.

"Yes, she does," Godric said with a smile. "But can she do anything other vampires can't?"

"Not that I know of," he replied tonelessly. Godric's fangs dropped and he pressed harder, more aggressively, which was uncomfortable for Lafayette so I watched as he slipped through the water, tucking himself away.

"Can Sookie day-walk, Lafayette?" he asked, every word dripping with sex.

"Nah, man. Vamps burn in the sun," he replied with his voice completely devoid of life since he had retreated to safety. With this answer, Godric eased up, pulling himself out gently until none of Lafayette's mind was under his influence any longer and retracted his fangs. He sent me his pride again, so much so that I actually stumbled from the sheer amount, while I watched as Lafayette slipped back out the door and closed it behind him. "Shit, Godric. You not as smooth, man. Sookie's touch almost feels like fur but with you, I can feel your fingers. It creepy."

I smiled at that while Godric let out a full-bellied laugh. I could feel his affection for my friend growing. He liked Lafayette and appreciated his candor and humor.

"It appears Sookie may have a gift," he said while nodding. Though it sounded like an off the cuff remark, I understood that he was telling me glamour was a vampire gift of mine. It made sense, actually, since my telepathy let me see what my glamours physically looked like and let me target specific information. Not only that, I could use my influence on vampires. I shot my gratitude for the comment and comprehension his way so he knew I had understood what he was trying to tell me.

"Damn straight. My girl is _talented_ ," he purred, making me blush in the tie, and then pouted, "It's not as fun, Sook, if you can't blush anymore." I laughed hard while hoping at the same time that meant he wouldn't tease me as much. "Well, Miss Fangs, I gots to get back to work before Boss man comes at me. I see you soon? Maybe lunch one day?" he said with an eyebrow quirked. "You staying at the farmhouse?"

"Yeah, we need to talk to Sam and Tara anyways before we meet back up with Eric," I said.

"Eric Northman?" he asked in surprise. "You hanging out with that scary bitch now?" His mind actually radiated his terror as he spoke and, out of concern that Godric replicated when he felt mine, I looked into his mind again and saw his nightmares, the hallucination he had during the maenad attack, and the blood dreams. Lafayette was suffering from PTSD.

"Lala, Godric is also Eric's maker. Though we're living in Bon Temps, I'm probably gonna be around Eric a lot and him me. I know you're afraid of him after the punishment for the V. I can't take away the memories since you need to be aware of what happens if you commit another crime against vamps, but I can glamour you into not feelin' terror in his presence and get rid of any other side effects that you might be experiencing. Do you want me to?" I asked, concern lacing every word. Godric looked at me with worry and nodded. He liked Lafayette and didn't want him to suffer anymore. He'd already been punished, so it wasn't fair that he was still paying for what he did. It was like he was serving life without parole for a misdemeanor.

"You can do that, Sook?" he asked, stunned. I nodded and he immediately said, "Yes, _please_. I hate this shit, _please_ do it." I wanted to cry when I heard the amount of desperation in his voice. Godric sent me remorse for what Lala was experiencing and strength so I could help him.

I stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and pushed into his mind. I searched quickly for everything related to Eric and gathered it all in one place. There was so much fear, too much trauma, so I mentally wrapped myself around him, giving his wounded mind a gentle squeeze of comfort. It felt as if his mind itself sighed with the mental hug as he relaxed into my embrace and took a second to actually unwind. His body went slack as his mind nuzzled into mine for strength, absorbing the comfort I gave him. I wanted to fix this so badly, to heal his mental wounds. I wouldn't realize it until Godric explained later, but my hand lit up with a green glow as I stroked his shoulder and arm softly while I soothed the ragged edges in his mind and smoothed over the hurts. Everything was caught in wicked snarls, so I untangled them with my nimble mental fingers, reinforcing weak strands when I came across them. As I worked, I could literally see his fear lessening and his mind healing. I kept up my mental doctoring until the only fear left was the fear of what would happen if he sold or did V again and a tiny, healthy dose of the fear of pissing Eric off, but it was the same amount he would've had for pissing off any vampire.

Then, in a panty-dropping, mesmerizing voice, I finished my glamour with instructions, "Lafayette, you no longer need to be so terrified of Eric Northman. You will treat him like you would any other vampire. You'll be cautious, like you normally would be around a vampire, but not so afraid. He was just doing his job, so there's no reason to be petrified of him if you don't sell V or commit any more offenses against vampires, right?"

"Yeah, Sook. I don't know why he scared me so much. He just doing his job," he said, spellbound, and shrugged.

I nodded with a smile, agreeing with him, and then purred, "You won't have nightmares anymore either, you won't hallucinate, and you won't even have any more blood dreams. Anything to do with your V punishment is over. You can close the book on that chapter of your life and look back on it without fear. It's a fact and it happened, but it won't harm you anymore, okay?" Technically, he would have blood dreams for a few months, but my glamour would force him to immediately forget them, thus he wouldn't suffer from any nasty side effects if he couldn't remember what he dreamt about.

He sighed with relief and said, "It's over. I'm not proud of it and I ain't dumb enough to do it again, but I ain't gotta be afraid no more. It's okay." Then he smiled and said, "I'm okay."

I pulled back slowly, making sure his mind was prepared to stand on its own, as I murmured, "Now you will be."

Lafayette blinked, trying to analyze his own state of being, before he let out an enormous and relieved sigh. He smiled brilliantly at me, wrapped his arms around me, and hugged me tighter than a cobra would its prey. He kissed my cheek again and said, "My God, Sook, that was better than a month in a spa. I feel more rested than I've ever felt and the fear's gone, Sook! I ain't worried someone's gonna sneak up and kidnap me if I turn my back on 'em or afraid to turn around and see that big, blond, hunk of undead meat anywhere I go. I feels great! You lied earlier, you is an angel." He whispered the last part and when he pulled back, there was a tear sliding down his face. "Oh go on, you can drink it," he joked with a smile. I reached out and popped in my mouth, more than happy to enjoy a tear brought about by joy. I could even taste the relief in it. "I love you, Miss Fangs."

My heart squeezed again, delighting my bloodline, and I whispered, "I love you too, Lala. I'm sorry you went through that. It's a good thing I'm a vampire or I wouldn't have been able to help you like that, huh?"

"Yeah, it is. And it's a good thing because you're happy. I ain't ever seen you so comfy in you own skin, and it's a beautiful look for you, that happiness. You wear it well. Thanks again, hooka," he sighed out. "I should go back in before Sam gets wise and just fires me."

I nodded, gave him another hug, and said, "I'll call you soon. Godric and I are gonna slip into Sam's office. You mind sending Sam and Tara back? If I tell one they'll tell the other before I get the chance, so I figured I'd do it all at once. Two birds, one stone."

"Yeah, sure, you take care of yourself, sweetness. Godric, it's been cool," he said as he tipped his head Godric's way, who nodded back with a smile.

"It was a pleasure, Lafayette," Godric replied with honesty.

"Maybe for you," he mumbled under his breath as he opened the door, forgetting about vampire hearing, "but I got my mind stroked by cold, creepy fingers."

We laughed as the door shut behind him, getting a kick out of his final comment, before turning to look at each other. Godric held his elbow out for me and I slid my hand into the crook of it as we walked, at human pace, towards the backdoor that led to Sam's office.

"Did you realize you used your fairy light on Lafayette, child?" Godric asked. I shook my head, speechless and stunned. What did the light do? "Personally, I have _never_ seen anyone react to glamour the way Lafayette just did. The light was green, which is often used to represent peace and healing. While you used your glamour to compel him to 'shut the book' on his fear, I believe you healed him of his mental and emotional trauma. It was a beautiful thing to watch. It would not surprise me if we come to discover healing is a gift of the Fae. I am so very proud of you and so very sorry that his punishment scarred him that badly," Godric stated. He sent me an odd mixture of warmth, love, sorrow, pride, remorse, and amazement. The combination definitely caught Pam and Eric's attention and they flooded Godric with their intrigue and curiosity. He gave them back a push that told them to mind their own business. Pam responded with irritation and Eric with another push that practically growled, "Fine!" Both our lips twitched at his reaction.

"I am also amazed with your ability to glamour. I gave you a template that I use, and have used for hundreds of years, and you not only performed a difficult glamour, you improved upon it. You improved the glamour of a 2,000 year old vampire who specializes in it. What you came up with was ingenious, Sookie. I have learned many things from you tonight. You are my teacher tonight, not me yours. And you can count on me using what I learned in the future. I will probably even teach it to Eric and Nora," he added with a genuine smile, still keeping up the flow of the same emotions he sent me before. I responded with kisses of gratitude in the bond.

The conversation died off there as we entered Sam's office and settled ourselves. Godric sat down and relaxed while I remained on my feet since I knew I would probably be hugged before I could say a word. It would be after either Sam smelled me or Tara felt my somewhat cooler skin that I would see how they truly felt about me being vampire. Godric swamped me in strength and support as my levels of unease and anxiety became too much for me.

We could hear them approaching. Tara was arguing with Lafayette, who just kept shepherding them in our direction while saying, "Trust me, hooka. You gonna wanna see this. Keep your mind open though, Tara Mae, and don't fly off the handle. This is a gift and if you attack the angel in the other room for _anything_ you will get a grade A ass whoopin' Lafayette-style. You picking up what I'm puttin' down?"

Godric and I shot smiles at each other as our amusement erupted in the bond. It was _definitely_ a smart move to tell Lafayette first. I just prayed Tara would listen to him because Vampire Sookie did not like being attacked. I would have to work on not just emotional control, but on tempering my natural predatory instincts and force myself not to slide into that state if things got volatile.

"Yeah, bitch, I got it. Listen and don't hurt no one, I got it," Tara snapped as the door flew open and she and Sam walked backwards into the office.

"That goes for you too, Boss man," Lafayette added as he pulled the door shut and headed back towards the kitchen.

Sam and Tara raised their eyebrows and exchanged worried glances with each other then turned away from the door, taking in the rest of the room before their eyes settled on me. Sam stood rooted to the spot as Tara sprinted at me, doing her best to tackle me but ran into the brick wall that was my arms instead.

" _Sookie?!_ " she shrieked. Tara wrapped her arms around me so tight that I wouldn't have been able to breathe if I needed to. I could smell tears once again as we held each other. I hadn't said a word yet, still looking at the frozen Sam over her shoulder, and worried that I should've spoken to them separately after all.

Tara pulled back, bringing her hands to my face as she moved. I finally broke eye contact with my old boss and looked back at my best friend with a smile wider than a trailer on my face. I missed her. So, so much.

"Tara, you look gorgeous!" I gushed. She really did too. Her hair had been relaxed, whereas the last time I saw her it was in hundreds of tiny braids, and now she was wearing more makeup, but it was smooth and glossy like a movie star's. Even so, I could see how tired her eyes looked and lines of grief in her face. I didn't know when exactly she had tried to kill herself, but I could tell it wasn't very long ago. There was too much darkness in her eyes for it to have been more than a few days.

"You do too. In fact, I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful. You're complexion is like marble, tan marble, but so smooth. And your hair is shinier and your eyes are brighter. You look like a model, why is that?" she said in confusion with her brows furrowed.

"It's 'cause she's a vampire now, ain't it, Sookie?" Sam spat and let out a growl. Godric stood when he heard his tone, drawing attention to himself for the first time. Sam looked at him and panic clouded over his expression. Obviously, Sam was now noticing Godric's glow and taking in the fact that it was twice as bright as Eric's, that he was dealing with a vampire over 2,000 years old.

"You will sit down and listen to what Sookie has to say, shifter, if for no other reason than Sookie came here to tell you herself. For some reason, she said you were family. I have uprooted my life from Texas so that my progeny can be closer to those lucky enough to be considered by her as kin, _so if you do not sit your ass down then I will make you_ ," he said, beginning his order in the world's most patient and calming tone and ending it with a vicious hiss when Sam just kept standing there. Realizing Godric meant business, he finally backed down and took a seat. His eyes looked wild, his jaw clenched, and his hands were white-knuckling the arms of his chair.

"Is it true? You a vampire, Sook?" Tara asked in a small voice, bringing my eyes and attention back to her. She looked torn, like she wanted to get away from me and get closer to cuddle at the same time.

"Yes, I am vampire now-" Sam cut me off with a snarl, "but you need to know how it happened and, afterwards, if both of you never wanna see me again, then that's your choice. Just like it was mine to keep surviving, hoping to get back to my family, which includes you _both_ , Sam," I said pointedly, glancing at him when I said his name, before continuing with my eyes back on Tara, "I died. I know you have to die to become vampire, but I mean I was _literally dying_ when I was offered the choice-"

"Bill did it, didn't he?" Tara hissed, apparently not having understood the word progeny. "He drained you and turned you! I'll kill the bastard. I'll stake him. I-"

"No," I said with finality.

"What?" she asked, surprised by my tone.

"No. Bill didn't turn me, Tara. He's _not_ my maker. I was attacked at the Fellowship of the Sun, thrown into the basement, beaten, stabbed, and nearly raped," Sam growled, Tara gasped, and Godric dropped fang, probably to tell Sam to shut the fuck up, "and Godric, the vampire I was lookin' for, stopped the rapist and offered me a choice. I wanted to live, wanted to see my friends, to be reunited with my family, and the only way I was ever making it out of that basement was as a vampire. So I said, 'Turn me.'" I shrugged. "And I haven't regretted it _once_. I wouldn't be here talkin' to you, listening to you threaten Bill and you, Sam, snarl at me for wanting to live, if I hadn't chosen to be turned."

I stroked Tara's arms as I said this, hoping she wasn't going to snap. So far, she was reacting a lot better than I thought she would. At the moment, she was speechless. I could tell she was still trying to determine how she felt, so I chanced a look at Sam. His emotions were still more red and snarly than usual, but he looked less panicked and more cautious than angry. I had hope that maybe he would change his mind and not hate me for being vampire, there wasn't much of that hope since I knew how he viewed us, but it was there nonetheless.

"You turned her then?" Tara asked after turning to look at Godric.

"Yes, I did. Sookie and I saved each other that night. We both would've met our ends in that church. I had given up at that point and grown tired of my existence. After 2,000 years of night," he paused to smile at Tara's look of shock, "I felt like it was more than enough. I thought I could give Steve Newlin a sense of justice with my death, but that was incredibly naïve. My other progeny, Eric Northman," Sam growled again at Eric's name but Godric just sent me an emotional eye-roll, which had me fighting laughter, and ignored him as he continued, "sent Sookie into the Fellowship and asked her to use her telepathy to look for any information on me. The man who went with her had managed to keep his motives secret from her and tipped off Steve Newlin. They were led on a tour which ended in the basement in a cell. I heard Sookie screaming, but it was too late by the time I got to her. The man had stabbed her and she was bleeding out. I would not have been able to save her with just my blood. I felt the pull to be her maker immediately," he kept on with the story, ignoring Sam when he gasped, "but was reluctant to create another vampire when I no longer wanted to walk the earth.'

"After speaking with her, Sookie convinced me my final death was not the answer, was not the redemption and escape I was looking for. I needed to atone with the way I lived and ending my life was not the way to show my atonement. With her very last breaths, she begged me to live, gave me a glimpse into what a beautiful soul she has and what my life might be like if I embraced it fully. After she made me understand and realize this, I offered her the choice to become my progeny. She accepted because she wanted to return to you, to see you all again, even _you_ , shifter," he spat. "I have not regretted it once either," he finished by smiling at me. I sent him every bit of love I possessed and gratitude. He returned it and it took every ounce of control both of us had not to start what would seem like randomly purring in front of them.

"Well," Tara said after a moment of putting her thoughts in order, "you always were too selfless for your own damn good, Sook, but damn if I ain't glad to see you alive and kicking, so to speak." She then threw her arms around me and rocked from side to side while laughing and thanking God in her thoughts.

The story of my turning wasn't enough for Sam though. He was hung up on my nature and refused to give me even a minute of relief with Tara before he snapped.

"You've changed her," Sam hissed at Godric, bringing Tara's laughter and our hug to a stop. "Being a vampire will change everything she is! Sookie was tender, caring. She was never bloodthirsty, never vicious. Being a vampire means being the opposite of everything she ever was." He slammed his fists down and cracked his desk as he added, "You've _ruined_ her."

That was the last straw. My fangs dropped and I vamped myself in front of him, slapping my own hands down on the desk and leaning down to get closer to his face. It took everything I had not to let my emotions slip away and show Sam exactly how much I could change. Godric placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently, also pissed but knowing I didn't want to hurt someone I considered family. He flooded me with calm and strength, trying his best to also tamp down on my rage and suppress the hurt and rejection I was feeling.

"Now we see her other face, Tara. This is what it means to be vampire," Sam whispered as he looked into my eyes.

"And you have shown me, Sam Merlotte, what it truly means to be two-natured. Only that second nature, that face I'm lookin' into right now, ain't the face of the _animal_ you shift into, it's the face of an animal of an entirely different sort," I said calmly and languidly, using my more predatory voice. I watched with satisfaction as the hairs on his arms stood on end. "Everything I am is still in here, now I am just more. I have grown. I am a predator now in addition to who I am, but I still carry my light in my soul. In fact, _it's_ _stronger_. You have always been a predator, but it doesn't change how I view you. Shame on you, Merlotte," I scolded, using his last name, refusing to call the thing before me by the name of a friend. "Shame on you for judgin' me for surviving, for wantin' to come back to be in the presence of those I love again. Shame on you for judgin' me for part of me being predator when you have been part predator since the day you were born, for judgin' me for having fangs and drinking blood when you shift into an animal with fangs yourself and hunt at least once a month _to kill_."

He paled considerably when I spoke and beads of sweat ran down his neck, I could scent it. I knew why he felt I was ruined. It had nothing to do with my nature and everything to do with the state of my body. He had always held out hope, even after I fell in love with a vampire, that he and I would one day have a family together. He knew that wouldn't happen now that I couldn't have kids. He felt I had taken his future away from him, which was ridiculous since he thought me dead for a month now. That future disappeared weeks before I entered the room. Hell, it never truly existed to begin with.

"I was never gonna be yours, Sam, so if you're still snarlin' at me because you think I'm tainted goods somehow because I can't have kids, then you need to _shut the fuck up and grow the hell up_!" I hissed at him.

"Get outta my head, Sookie!" he shouted back.

"I can't read your thoughts anymore you _jackass!"_ I snarled, lying through my teeth. Godric was more than fine with it because the plan had been to lie about my telepathy anyways. I hadn't been listening to Sam though. I had just used my brain. I was sick of his attitude and I could feel my predator pushing at the gates. If he didn't control himself, he would have to deal with an aggressive and hurt Vampire Sookie very, very soon. I wasn't sure any of our friendship could be saved if I let the predator out and it unleashed its wrath upon him. It would be hitting a new level we couldn't backtrack from.

I released a breath I didn't need as Sam sat there, stunned by what I had said, and spoke quietly, letting a little more emotion slip back into my voice, "Even if things had gone wonderfully between us and I had been able to deal with hearin' your thoughts _every time we touched_ , I never would've had children, Sam. I would _never_ risk passing telepathy onto a child after everythin' I went through as a kid. If this is your hang-up, if this is what you can't get past, you need to stop and think about it more. Me becoming a vampire never took anythin' away from you, Sam. We weren't a couple. The one date we had, ended very badly and even if we somehow started datin' again and got married one day, I wouldn't have had kids. If you really stop and think about it, my turning took nothing away, but did give you somethin' back. I'm here, I ain't alive, but I'm here. You can see me, touch me, speak to me, and hear me. None of that would be possible if I died in that basement, if I had said no to Godric. Would you really prefer me dyin' on the floor of that fanatical church instead of seein' me with fangs?"

Nothing but silence filled the air for one tense moment until he finally relented and his shoulders slumped.

"No, cher," he said, using his favorite endearment for me the very first time tonight. "No, I would rather see you 'with fangs' than bury your casket, so no, I wouldn't prefer it. God," he said and pushed his hands through his hair before pulling on it, " _I'm so sorry_ , Sook. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry, so very sorry. You ain't ruined. I'm just an _asshole_ who can't deal with change." I retracted my fangs and took a step back, still eyeing him a little warily. He pushed his chair back and stood up before making his way out from behind the desk and opening his arms to me. I gladly sank into them, letting go of the hurt and wariness and ready to accept the comfort of a friend, relieved that we had finally gotten past this.

"Sam?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, cher?"

"You really do smell like a dog," I stated. He looked down at me with his mouth hanging open and then the whole room burst into laughter. Thank the stars, maybe my family would survive this intact after all.


	20. Chapter 20: Confess It All

_A/N:_

 _Phew! That last chapter was intense, huh?_

 _I was tempted to have Tara react negatively, but I decided against it. In this fic, she lost Eggs right before she found out she'd lost her best friend too. She tried to kill herself and even though Lafayette talked some sense into her, she was still struggling with her grief. I think, in that position, she would've just been relieved to have her friend back._

 _Okay! So here's my next chapter and Sookie is gonna confess a few things to her friends, starting with her new gifts (rubs hands in anticipation). I think you might be a little surprised with what she confesses to Tara later. Since we never saw Sookie free of Bill's blood in the show, what she confesses is actually a possibility. In this fic, it's a fact._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own True Blood or SVM. HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris do. I confess, I'm envious. Wish they were MINE._

* * *

After the laughter had died down somewhat, I gave Sam another gentle squeeze before we both let go and I retreated into the shelter of my maker's arms. I needed Godric right now, in the role of my caretaker and father, and he could feel that. As he opened an arm so I could slide myself underneath it, he pulled on me in the bond, tugging me in for a long embrace while he patted and soothed away the kinks and fractures in my emotional state, like a father picking up a two year old who face-planted and dusting her off, while flooding me with love and kissing my emotional boo-boos.

Surprisingly, my bloodline reached out to me as well. Eric was pushing an astonishing amount of strength and tender affection towards me while Pam was pushing sympathy, support, and security. I still felt rejected and weak, so Eric wanted me to feel cherished and strong. I felt vulnerable, so Pam wanted me to feel safe and protected. I flooded them both with thankfulness and they responded by cranking up the dial on what they were sending. What really stunned me though was Nora, she was currently hesitantly reaching out a strand of herself towards me through Godric, approaching me warily and afraid of my reaction. I stunned her right back by firmly grabbing onto that strand and pulling her closer to me, establishing our connection, before I wrapped her up in all the emotions my bloodline was directing to me and stroked her for being brave enough and kind enough to reach out to someone she hadn't even met yet while I was hurting. Her strand warmed with gratefulness, amazement, and awe. She shivered in our brand new tie and I sent her affection for what she had done. She responded with even more thanks and appreciation.

I analyzed her feelings and found myself smiling because, at the moment, she felt whole, included, and a sisterly connection. I'd never had a sister, but I'd always wanted one. With that in mind, I sent her a gentle push that whispered one word to her blood, _sister_. Nora received it with a jolt of shock and drowned me in affection, like she had been saving up every piece of tenderness one could ever feel for a sibling and waited to use it for this precise moment. With Nora's actions and my reactions, Pam was feeling disbelief while Eric felt amusement and mirth, Godric just felt proud. I idly wondered if Eric had never allowed Nora to send her affection to him through the blood and if this was part of a stockpile caused from damming those emotions since he used to be (and I knew this from Godric with a couple hints from Pam) so unwelcoming towards emotions. I sent her back my gratitude, appreciation, and stroked her a final time before focusing back on the family I couldn't feel with my blood. Godric was sporting a shit-eating grin and somehow managing to push enough pride to caress every single one of us through the blood.

"Do you trust me, Sam?" I asked, point blank. "Knowing what I am, what I have become, do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do," he said confidently, not even needing to think about it. "Cher, you're the first person I've ever told about being a shifter. I even fell asleep in front of you in my shifter form," he pointed out, making me blush emotionally and Godric chuckle when he realized why. My entire bloodline was amused that I was blushing for some reason and drowning me in mirth and curiosity, making trying to keep a straight face the worst kind of torture. I gave them all a firm push that told them to bite me, which they found even funnier. I realized at that moment that I would likely have emotional eavesdroppers for the rest of the night.

Sam brought my focus back to him by then adding, "And you were right. You haven't changed, just added more. If you had become a predator completely, become pure vampire and lost the tenderness and caring I love so much, you would've killed me for what I said. _I_ might've killed someone for accusing me of being ruined because they found out I was a shifter. I'm so sorry… instead, you kept yourself from attacking me, told me to get my head out of my ass, and let me hug you afterwards. You're still you and I trust you with my life."

I nodded, grateful, before turning my attention to Tara, "And you, Tara? Do you trust me?"

"Always have, always will, Sook. What is it you need?" she asked, able to read me so well after all these years and I smiled at her for it.

"I need you both to trust me now," I said before taking a deep breath and stating, "I need to tell you both somethin' important, but it's risky for others to know and will be dangerous for you to know it. Once you do, you'll be grateful I told you 'cause it means you'll have more time to spend with me. You will see me more often and I'll be part of your lives a lot more than if I were to leave this second. In order to tell you though, I need to ensure both your protection and my own, which means I need to glamour you into never revealin' what I'm about to say and guarantee that no other vampire can pry it from you. Lafayette's already allowed me to do this, you can talk to him about the process if you want, but he won't be able to shed any light on what I wanna say. Can you two trust me enough to do this?"

Tara was nodding before I even finished speaking. When I was done, she vehemently said, "Do what you need to, girl. I know you'd never take advantage that way. I already trust you with my thoughts. Well, I mean I did since you can't read 'em no more, what's a lil glamour?" I smiled beautifully at her in response and earned myself a grin in return before looking back at Sam.

He looked stunned, but not mad and I felt that was an improvement. He breathed out his words, both astonished at the possibility and somewhat afraid of the answer, when he asked, "Can you glamour the two-natured, cher?"

I looked up to Godric for his input. We hadn't tested it out on a two-natured, but since we discovered I could push my influence on vampires, I thought it was very likely I could glamour any type of supe. Godric nodded back and said to Sam, "Sookie's glamour is a vampiric gift. I also have the gift of glamour and am known in our world to be a master of the trade, but what Sookie glamoured into Lafayette tonight?" He whistled to show how impressed he was and stated, "It was levels beyond me. I don't know anyone who can manipulate their influence like Sookie can. I think having once had telepathy has honed her ability to manipulate thoughts and I doubt there will be a two-natured she cannot glamour. She hasn't done it before on one of your kind, but with your permission, we can test it before she establishes the protective block we need to build."

Looking dumbfounded, Sam simply nodded and brought his eyes back to mine as he whispered, "Do it, Sook. I trust ya, cher."

I stayed where I was, in the shelter of Godric's arms, still feeling vulnerable after our confrontation earlier and, because those who shared my blood were fucking amazing, still receiving a steady flow of emotions, while I pushed my influence and telepathy towards Sam. His mind opened up easier than it ever had before, like a sunflower opening its petals to absorb the sun's rays. I understood immediately why vampires couldn't glamour the two-natured. We couldn't glamour animals and half their psyches were purely animal. Realizing this, I separated out the thought processes that were human from the animal, sorting them into two piles. When I had separated the two natures from each other, I surrounded the part that was Sam, leaving Dean firmly alone, and said in the breathy voice of a total tease, "Stand on one foot for three seconds."

He instantly found himself on one foot with eyes as wide as saucers while he made a choking sound. Tara snickered at him as Godric flooded me with pride. Godric pulled on my bond while Sam took a moment to recover from the shock and when I met his eyes, he gave me a familiar request. I opened up my shields and heard Godric think, _what was it you did differently with the shifter?_

I pushed my influence towards him while balancing my weird tug-of-war, push and pull, telepathy and glamour pairing to send out, _the two-natured can't be glamoured because we can't glamour animals and half of their psyche is purely animal. I used my telepathy to sort through and separate everythin' that was the man from the animal, then I glamoured the man._

He smiled a brilliant smile while amping up the pride drastically, _I am proud of you, daughter. In thousands of years, no vampire has figured out a successful way to glamour the two-natured. Vampires have long suspected it had to do with their animal natures, but never realized that the human part of them can be glamoured. You, Sookie Stackhouse, are utterly unique._ He finished our internal conversation with a wink.

Such a silver tongue.

I rewarded him for the compliment with a caress, stifling a laugh when he physically shivered, and turned my attention back to my friends. Sam looked a little pale, but okay and determined overall. Tara was thoroughly enjoying seeing her boss so rattled, but was quick to get serious when I drew their attention once again.

"Sam, are you still willing?" He nodded and I shot him a smile for trusting me. He smiled back ruefully. I then turned back to Godric for specific instructions. "Master?" I asked, "Anything specific you'd like me to do?"

"Yes," he replied. "I want to see if you can hold multiple glamours at once, child. Push your influence at one, then split your mind into a second process, which I know you're capable of since you're telepathy used to divide your attention between listening to thoughts, shielding, speaking, and other tasks. Once you have opened up that other process, meet the eyes of your second target and use it to push your influence to your other friend. When you instruct them this time, include your vampire abilities in the glamour as well. Would attempting this be acceptable to you?" he asked.

"Of course, master," I replied then concentrated on Tara and Sam. "I'm not like other vampires, guys, which I'm sure you, Sam, have figured out already simply by the fact I can glamour you and by the amount of control I have when I 'm not even more than a month old," Sam nodded at me, so I persisted, "I rose with more gifts than the normal vampire, extraordinary gifts. We discovered, after I rose, that I had not been fully human before I died. It turns out I'm part-fairy and the turning strengthened my essential spark instead of killin' it…" I trailed off when Tara looked more lost than a child who wandered away from her mom at the county fair and Sam looked like he could be knocked over by a feather.

"Tara, the Fae, or fairies, are another type of supernatural race, like shifters and vampires. They don't look like Tinkerbelle. They look like normal human beings but usually possess great beauty and slightly pointed ears. Their magical essences, or essential sparks, are what make 'em unique. They're highly magical beings. I only had telepathy when I was alive because I was a hybrid, part-human, part-Fae. Now that vampirism has strengthened my spark, my telepathy" and here I threw in a little lie mixed in with the truth "has evolved into empath abilities. Instead of hearin' thoughts, I feel emotions. I've also developed another ability. I am of the Sky Fae, which means sunlight is our magical forte, and apparently my essential spark literally amped up the sunlight in my veins. The mornin' after I rose from the grave, Godric and I discovered that I can day-walk. I won't burn in the sunlight."

Both of them dropped their mouths open in utter astonishment, looking like they couldn't believe they had unwrapped golden tickets in their Willy Wonka bars. Godric and I pushed mirth at each other as we waited for whatever would happen next.

Tara broke the silence with a sniffle, wiping a tear from her eye as she asked, "You mean we don't have to give up sunbathing after all?" I giggled while shaking my head no. The way she phrased that was just too funny, like she was converting her entire schedule to vamp hours because I was supposed to be allergic to the sun.

"Nope, we're still allowed to fry like fritters wrapped in bacon grease," I answered. "You'll be the only one at risk for gettin' sunburnt though," I joked. "Day-walking also means I don't go to day-rest. I slip into somethin' very close to sleep, so we can still see each other out in the sunshine, which is why I wanted to tell you. Do you both understand why we gotta glamour you now?"

"She'll be hunted," Sam murmured to himself. All the consequences of ever revealing my gifts and heritage were now racing furiously through his mind.

"Who would hunt Sookie?" Tara asked, feeling the need to protect me rising in her.

"Everyone, Tara!" Sam snapped. "Vampires, humans, the Fae, they will all hunt her!"

The Fae?

My eyes widened as the possibility of the Fae being a genuine threat occurred to me and alarm shot through my body as I looked up to meet Godric's eyes. It was not any relief to see the same concern and worry on his face. As alarm spread throughout the bond, our bloodline took notice. Unease and anxiety swept across their ties and suddenly our cell phones were ringing. I looked at Godric in question and he nodded, so I slipped out my cell and answered, "Hello?"

"Sookie! What's wrong?" Jessica's voice filtered in and I involuntarily smiled. Jessica had been emotionally eavesdropping too. I singled out our minute tie to examine her emotional state and realized she was panicking. I used every drop of strength Eric had been filtering into me for the last few minutes to push reassurance and calm into her and she immediately leveled out. I needed to have her drink more so it didn't sap me so quickly. Vampires never get tired, so I was already rebuilding my reserve, but sometimes we did overextend ourselves.

"Nothing, Jess," I soothed. "I'm in Bon Temps and a friend of mine just made me aware of a possible threat, but nothin's happened and there's no evidence anythin' will. I was just alarmed is all. Can you feel me relaxing?" I asked as I slowly tightened a filtered shield around my tie with her. My alarm hadn't decreased and I was still on edge, but now alarm, anxiety, and unease was being kept from trickling into her side of the tie.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I can feel it. Sorry, just worried, Sookie," she said apologetically.

"That's okay, Jess. You never have to apologize for bein' concerned about your family. Actually, I'm glad our tie is workin' so well. We shared so little blood that I was worried you wouldn't feel me at all. I think I'd like to increase our connection even more though, it'd make it easier for emotional exchange, which I'll teach you about. Would you like that?" I asked in a calm voice. It bothered me that I couldn't feel Jessica slipping into a panic. I caught Godric's eyes as I asked. He was speaking furiously in Swedish, but he'd been listening to my conversation too. He nodded and pushed support to me, obviously feeling my concern directed at the strength of my tie with Jessica.

Jessica's tie suddenly thrummed with excitement and anticipation, making my lips twitch, and she immediately said, "Yes! Yes, I would. Tonight, Sook?"

I nodded, to myself since she couldn't see me (a fact Godric found hilarious), and said, "Yep, tonight. We'll talk about it when I get back to Fangtasia, okay?"

"Kay, Sookie. See ya then," she said and we hung up. She had so much better phone manners than the rest of my bloodline.

I turned back to an arguing Sam and Tara and gave them my best taxi whistle to get their attention.

"Sam, what do you know about the Fae?" I asked.

He sighed, running a hand over his face, and said, "Not much, cher. I only know a few because a lot of Fae have a shapeshifting gift." Godric startled internally and pushed curiosity towards me. I understood immediately and pushed that back to him.

"Shapeshifting? Is that a Sky Fae gift?" I asked with my voice pitched in curiosity.

He cocked his head in contemplation and speculated, "Actually, I think it may be more of an Earth Fae gift, why?"

"Sookie's spark has been strengthened dramatically," Godric answered as he shut his cell and slipped it in his back pocket. "She is still revealing whatever gifts she may have, and if shapeshifting could be one of them-"

"Then you'd have to add shifters to your list of potential threats. Okay, I get it," Sam sighed. "I don't know for sure, but the ones I met belonged to the Earth clan. I know that fairies react to iron a lot like we react to silver, but it's even more deadly. Lemon juice is poisonous to them. They can call to kin, though I'm not sure how. Oh! Telepathy is actually supposed to be a trait of the direct royal line…" he trailed off slowly and looked at me in awe. "You're a faery princess, aren't you, cher?"

"I honestly don't know," I said with a shrug. "I'm pretty sure though the only princess in Bon Temps is Portia Bellefleur." Tara snickered and I shot her a wicked grin. "I got no idea who my kin are, Sam. No fairy's ever contacted me. Godric told me the Fae were assumed to be extinct. I'm the first he's met with Fae blood in hundreds of years, so the fact that you know some is a surprise to us. It's why we didn't consider them a threat. I really hope I don't have royal blood. I _do not_ want to become a primary target. Being a Fairy-Vampire hybrid would be enough to have Fae huntin' me. I don't need to be enemy number one because I have royal blood too." He nodded in agreement, looking more and more stressed. "Sam, do you know anything else?"

He shook his head while saying, "Just Niall Brigant's name, nothing else. Oh, I do know they're not extinct. They just retreated to a separate realm, but I think they've been coming here more lately."

I then ransacked his brain, collecting data on every piece of fairy information and the names of every fairy he knew as I nodded. Godric sent me an emotional push and I sent back agreement. It would be best to glamour them when they didn't see it coming.

I focused on Sam first, since he was so jittery about me being able to glamour him at all. I pushed my mind into his, separating the man from the animal again, then encompassing his mind before I opened a second pathway in my brain and switched my eyes to Tara, pushing more of myself into her.

I burrowed through their minds simultaneously, sifting through their memories and looking for me specifically. Reading Tara's memories made me cry, and Godric immediately collected the tears. Her combined pain over me and Eggs was too much for someone to bear at one time. I stroked my mental fingers across her memories and smoothed out the wrinkles and catches surrounding my death and my reappearance. Her shoulders dropped a little, relaxing, and her eyes became brighter as I scooped up some of her grief. Finding myself in Sam's mind was a little more interesting. With Tara and Lafayette, I had been safely ensconced in the family section, close to who they were at their cores. Sam recently had me in his romance sector but was in the process of moving me to family. He was removing me from potential romantic interests, yet tucking me closer to who he was.

I quickly filtered out everything about memories of fairies that had to do with me, anything about my abilities as a vampire, my abilities as a fairy, threats against me, day-walking, and everything else we had discussed about my turning, except for what Godric and I had told them about the Fellowship of the Sun. I built my block around it, infusing it with the same liquid mirrors and escape doors.

Then, in a smooth and seductive voice, I addressed them simultaneously, "Sam, Tara, you don't remember anything about me being related to the royal line, right?"

Godric knew I was going to do this the moment Sam had asked if I was a faery princess. He had flooded me with concern and wariness and I had sent him back resolution, so he knew I was going to erase it. I hated having to erase a memory of theirs, but it could easily lead them to concluding that my telepathy wasn't really gone, and no amount of glamour was worth the risk of them having that knowledge.

"What royal line?" Tara asked with a shrug and Sam said, hilariously, I might add, "The only princess in Bon Temps is Portia Bellefleur."

Godric shot me with his intense amusement with Sam's response and couldn't keep himself from chuckling no matter how hard he tried.

"And the only Fae gifts I have are being empathic and day-walking, right?" I purred. They nodded and Godric and I smiled. I then enacted the mirror, by placing a mental touch to it that made it ripple (my own personal power button), so that all other information was protected from anyone except me when it came to glamouring (if you built it, you can destroy it) and gave them the same instructions I gave Lafayette earlier, including how to escape the mental pressure of another vampire's glamour so their personalities weren't destroyed if a vampire tore into them. If Ginger had been glamoured the same way, where she could literally glamour herself not to mention things that happened at Fangtasia and escape the pressure, she would've been a whole lot more scared of vampires but kept who she was intact.

I slowly pulled back, erasing evidence as I went, and absolutely perfecting the areas where I had tampered with their memories and erased specific information. There was absolutely no traces those memories ever existed.

"Wasn't bad, right?"

Sam and Tara glanced at each other, processing everything that just happened. Slowly, Sam shook his head and Tara gave us a shrug as she admitted, "No, Sook. That wasn't bad at all."

Sam chuckled and glanced as his watch, alerting us we'd been hidden away for a while now and they needed to get back to work. He then cleared his throat, smiled ruefully, and asked, "I guess you probably don't need a job anymore, huh?"

I shook my head with my own rueful smile and said, "I loved working for ya, Sam, but I still gotta lot to learn about the vampire way of life and there simply ain't enough time in a night to hold a job while my maker's trainin' me."

He nodded and sighed before holding his arms out once again. I slid between them and wrapped my own around him while he said, "We'll miss ya around here, cher. You were always my best waitress. You stop by for a True Blood as often as you can, ya hear?"

I nodded and released him with a smile, "Sure, Sam. I'll stop in at least once a week. My whole family's here. Even Jase eats most his meals here."

He smiled again and Tara stepped forward. Before I could turn to her, Godric tugged on the bond, pushed me a need for privacy, and said, "Sookie, I need a moment alone with Mr. Merlotte. Since we're staying in Bon Temps, I need to ask him about other supernaturals in the area. Perhaps you could wait in the bar for me?"

He didn't need privacy for that, but I understood this wasn't a suggestion. I was wary of the bar patrons though and had already been through way too much emotional baggage tonight, so I respectfully said, "I think I'd rather wait out back, master. If we wanna make it out of here soon, I'd better not wait with the locals." He pushed agreement towards me, so I turned to Tara and asked, "Come outside for a minute?"

Tara glanced at Sam with a hopeful expression, who nodded, before slipping her arm through mine and walking out the door with me. We walked over to the picnic table Sam put in the grass for employees to use during breaks and perched ourselves on top of it, resting our feet on the bench.

"You're outfit's blowin' my mind, Sook. What happened to sundresses?" she asked while tugging on my jacket sleeve.

I giggled. I knew I wouldn't get away with wearing it without _someone_ commenting on it tonight. Actually, I was surprised Eric and Pam hadn't teased me about it. Instead, Eric's lust had exploded like a stick of dynamite and Pam had sent me a push that said she liked it, like she was complimenting me through the blood, and nodded appreciatively.

"I still wear them. It's just that they make me look so soft, Tara, and Godric and I figured out pretty quickly that by wearin' them I was just askin' to be challenged in the vampire world," I said as I fingered the fabric over my knee. "So, on nights I know I'm gonna be around other vampires I don't trust or at Fangtasia, I slip on 'Vampire Sookie' gear. It makes me look edgier, a little tougher, and then fewer vamps try to walk all over me."

She nodded, absorbing everything I said, and stilled for a second as something occurred to her before bursting into laughter. I had my shields up, to keep myself from being tempted into eavesdropping on Godric and interfering with whatever they were discussing, and didn't hear any of her thoughts. I shot her a quizzical look and she gave me a wicked smile before she explained, between laughs, "I just realized Godric said Eric Northman was his other progeny, that makes you, like, brother and sister or something, don't it?"

I nodded and joined in. It was really funny if I thought about it. After Godric explained things to me, it didn't panic me anymore to think about being "related" to Eric and it actually gave me the urge to chuckle. Vampire connections just didn't translate into human relationships.

"I know it's not the same for vamps, but it's just weird to think you're related in any way to that scary SOB when you're so much more gentle, stubborn as a mule, but gentle," she said.

I smiled, masking the way I really felt. I was gentle until someone pissed me off. Even then I wasn't wildly violent, but the cold front I put up even chilled Eric to the bone. When it came to Eric though, there was no mistaking him for being gentle. What you saw was what you got- there was an aura of danger around him and people instinctively knew they needed to proceed with caution when in his presence. He was genuinely scary at first, and anyone who knew what Lafayette had gone through would keep far away from Eric. I didn't think Tara actually knew about what he did to Lafayette, though. She could, but if she did, she didn't comment on it.

"He's actually not that bad once you get to know him. If you're lucky enough to see behind his vampire sheriff mask, he can be a really good guy," I said softly.

She threw me an incredulous look, narrowed her gaze while she searched my face, gasped, and quite vocally and accusingly stated, "You like him, Sook! Don't you? You like _Eric Northman_?"

I looked around to make sure we were completely alone as I simultaneously blushed in the tie, cracking up my bloodline again, and said in a hushed tone, "Shhh. Tara, not so loud. And yes, I do, okay? I do. I've actually liked him for a long time, but _Bill_ ," I spat out his name with a sneer, "was influencing my emotions with his blood and was suppressing the affection I felt for him."

I glanced back at Tara, whose brows were furrowed and whole expression screamed incomprehension, before I reluctantly explained, "Vampire blood has magic in it, Tara. When _Bill_ fed me his blood after the incident with the Rats, he could sense my emotions and my location. He told me this and said it would also enhance my 'libido.' What he didn't explain is the amount of control a vampire has over his blood. As long as it's kept alive, so to speak, as long as it's in someone's body and runnin' through their bloodstream, we still have control over it. We can manipulate our blood and, in turn, the person it's in by sending emotions through it. Bill used his blood to tamp down my attraction to Eric and the affection growin' for him inside me while he cranked up my trepidation and nervousness to make me feel unsettled around him. It wasn't enough, so when I found out Eric was doin' something I didn't like, Bill used that opportunity to literally flood me with disgust and hate. I've _never_ actually hated a person before," Tara nodded in stunned agreement since she knew, at the most, I only felt anger and _pitied_ the person it was directed towards, "and I realized when I rose vampire that the hate I felt came from Bill. I was angry at Eric, but I didn't hate him.'

"Bill also amped up my lust, makin' it seem like he was being honest about my 'increased libido' by doin' so, but that lust was only directed _towards him_. He only increased my attraction _to_ _him_ , Tara. He even went as far as sending me love, forcin' the emotion of love on me to make me think I was madly in love for the very first time," I said quietly and brushed away a blood tear. She reached out a hand and rubbed my back as she listened, straining to keep her own anger bottled up. I squeezed her leg in appreciation and continued in a whisper, "When you become vampire, you literally die and any vampire blood other than your maker's dies with your body and loses its influence. Your own blood then transforms durin' the transition and becomes magical, so you're able to feel it when others in your bloodline, and any vampires you share blood with, send you emotions. You can feel that they aren't comin' from you and you can identify the sender of what you're feelin' and choose whether or not you want to accept and embrace what they're pushin' towards you. Vampire blood loses that viciously manipulative quality once you're turned. There's no longer any confusion over what you're feeling, and who is responsible for sendin' it becomes very clear. After I rose, I was flooded with feelings that he had suppressed, like affection for Eric, and all the love, all the attraction, and all the positive emotions I felt for Bill Compton were just… gone."

She dropped her arm around my shoulder and leaned closer while she furiously asked, "Why? Why would that _asshole_ do somethin' like that to you, Sook?"

I smiled sadly and answered her, "My telepathy, Tara. Hadley is the pet of the vampire Queen of Louisiana. She told the queen about me and the queen sent Bill to procure me. He set up the thing with the Rats as a test and later glamoured them to come back and beat me so he could force his blood inside me. He'd been usin' it to try to force me into obedience ever since, workin' on me to try to get me to be the perfect little telepath for his queen."

She snarled and jumped to her feet, thinking rapidly as she paced back and forth, "I knew there was somethin' off about him, Sook! He was always around, he never worked- where'd he get his money if he wasn't workin'? He moved into that big ol' house _right next to you_ and suddenly was spendin' all his time with you." She paused a second and looked at me before adding, in an apologetic voice, "Not that any guy wouldn't be lucky to have ya, Sook. That ain't what I mean. Half the guys in Bon Temps would hook up with ya if they weren't afraid you could hear what they were thinkin'. I just meant it was _weird_ that he moved so close to you and saddled up with you right after he moved in."

I nodded, I knew she hadn't meant to insult me, and said, "Don't worry 'bout him anymore, girl. It turns out he was involved with V and the vamps in charge of making vampires follow our laws found out. They're already lookin' for him and he won't be coming around here no more."

She gave me a reluctant nod, placed her hands on her hips, and agreed, "A'ight, Sook. But Bill ever tries to use you again and I'll stake him."

"As would I," Godric added with a mischievous smile as he slipped out the door and shut it behind him. "I like your friends very much, Sookie. I hope to get to know them even better when we return from Missisippi," he said as he came to a stop in front of Tara and reached out a hand to shake hers.

She automatically shook it, sending a thrill through Godric that made my lips twitch, as she looked between us and asked, "Mississippi?"

"Yeah," I nodded and hopped off the table to stand next to her, "Godric and I are taking a short trip, just for the weekend at most, and we'll be back no later than Monday night."

She gently dropped Godric's hand and turned to give me a hug, squeezed me tightly, and said, "Well a'ight then. You be safe and when you get back call me. I wanna get together and have lunch or somethin' and, no, I really don't give a shit if you drink blood while I eat. I'll just pretend it's wine."

I laughed and let her go. She gave me one last smile before she opened the door, slipped inside, and went back to work behind the bar. Maybe if we had walked back in with her, we would've seen it when she caught the eye of the Mississippi vampire who had parked himself on a stool and ordered a True Blood.


	21. Chapter 21: Brotherly Love

_**A/N:**_

 _Like my little cliffhanger? I enjoyed it too. Here's another chapter for all of you beautiful readers._

 _I love hearing from you guys, so please read and review! We all need a little R & R in our lives. Actually, you all got me wondering, what's your favorite part so far? Let me know what you really, really like and I'll do my best to kick it up even another notch in a future chapter._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: True Blood and SVM are owned by Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO. Their characters just make my fangs throb._

* * *

While we watched her walk away, I dropped my shields and casually dug through Godric's most recent memories. He'd sent me the need for privacy, but hadn't asked me not to look through his thoughts or warned me against it with his blood. What I saw made me want to both chuckle and roll my eyes.

Godric had, in fact, quizzed Sam about the different supes in the area. He then asked him some questions about the maenad and when he was satisfied, he slammed Sam up against the wall by the throat and made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that Godric would be visiting him if Sam ever again dared to hurt me like he had tonight and the next visit wouldn't be as _friendly_. The part of Godric that was my father had taken a backseat when I walked out the door and the part that was my over-protective brother had firmly taken the wheel. No good brother would ever be able to just walk away from someone who had accused his little sister of being _ruined._

When I looked up at Godric, he gave me a mischievous wink. He knew me so well by now that he had already realized I wouldn't have been able to keep myself from thumbing through his thoughts to find out why he wanted to speak with Sam alone. I pushed him my exasperation and he responded like the typical teenager with a shrug as he said, "What? Come on, Sook, he _deserved_ it. I may be more evolved than most vampires, but I couldn't let him treat you that way."

I laughed and gave him a sideways hug while I sent him my amusement. He really came across like a human teenager when he said that. Godric rarely called me "Sook," but when he did, he was always feeling particularly brotherly.

He was right though. Sam had earned himself a second chance with me because of our history and because he'd earned my trust more than once, but he hadn't earned Godric's yet. Sam had insulted and lashed out at the progeny of a 2,000 year old vampire. Most vampires would've killed him for saying what he had. Godric was a lot more tolerant than most, but there was still a limit to what he would take from others, and hurting his progeny right in front of him was past that limit.

"Race you to Fangtasia?" he asked with a smile. I scoffed and he chuckled, "I'll go at half speed."

"You'd still be as fast as Eric!" I argued.

His smile widened and he playfully whined, "But, Sook, you've got more magic in your blood than any vampire I've ever met. We've never tested the limits of your speed. You rose early! It's likely you could keep up with Eric when you add all that together."

His tone had me laughing all over again and I sent him doubt, but he just smiled at me again because he could also feel my growing excitement and anticipation. He winked once more and sent me the "Green light" before he shot off into the night.

I shook my head in disbelief but shot off after him, pushing myself the hardest I could. I whizzed through the night, relishing the feel of the wind on my face and using my enhanced eyesight and night vision to leap over potholes and avoid rocks. We darted in and out of the paths of cars, leaving drivers completely oblivious, and laughed as we shot through a group of startled deer when we cut through the trees.

It felt wonderful to be running through the woods in the moonlight, like time had suddenly rewound and mankind hadn't settled into incredibly large cities and paved over the wilderness. Instead, it was like we were one with nature, two predators flying through the woods and every bit a natural part of the animal food chain. We cut an intricate path along beautiful, babbling streams and through the occasional breath-taking meadow while doing our best to avoid the marshes and bypassed the swamplands altogether. The cool night air brushed up against my face and danced across my skin as I raced Godric, the both of us gracefully moving over fallen logs, ducking under low branches, and pushing off against the soft soil. It was almost a shock to my system when we reemerged from the wilds of Louisiana and found ourselves face-to-face with the bustling metropolis of Shreveport.

I'd nearly caught up to Godric in the wilderness. I was keeping track of him with my mind, so I could feel what direction he was going and used that knowledge to anticipate his trajectory and cut past him with shortcuts, sending a thrill through his veins. He absolutely loved that I could cut him off. Approaching people pushed us back on an even playing field and he quickly passed me. I pushed myself even harder, riding on the tailwinds he made and was hot on his tracks when we began nearing downtown. Fangtasia was only a couple blocks away and it was obvious Godric was going to beat me. Then I got an idea.

Godric's excitement level hit a new plateau when he felt my anticipation rise and our bond fill with mischief. He looked back at me with a raised brow and a wicked smile that promptly dropped into an open mouth when I popped past him, never once breaking my stride at vampire speed, and kept running with every bit of strength I had towards Fangtasia. We were moving too fast for the human eye to see, too fast for any vampire younger than 1,000 years old to see, so I knew I could get away with it and popped a ways ahead of Godric so the last leg of our race would be on a completely even playing field. He was still faster than me, even at half speed, but now I was further ahead. I somehow forced myself to run even faster as Godric's mirth and astonishment erupted in my veins.

Eric and Pam had still been emotionally eavesdropping when we left Merlotte's and, after about five minutes of feeling our exhilaration and competitiveness, plus the speed at which we were moving, they had quickly added two and two together and realized Godric and I were racing back to the club. When Fangtasia came into view, Godric and I drowned them with our amusement. A crowd had gathered around the front of the bar, watching Eric and Pam as they just stood in the parking lot, facing the direction they felt us coming from in the blood. Hilariously, Pam had managed to find a white checkered flag and was holding it at the ready.

As we pushed even closer, Godric caught up with me. I threw every bit of strength and determination I had into running harder than I ever thought possible and kept even with him as we came within human sight of the finishing line. He flushed my veins with pride and shot me an excited grin when I kept pace with him. Eric threw his arms open wide at vamp speed and caught me as I slammed into him, laughing, and the crowd jumped back in shock and broke out in a combination of gasps, screams, and laughter when two vampires appeared out of nowhere. He actually stumbled from the impact since I was running at his typical speed and pure glee erupted in his veins. When Pam felt our arrival, she chucked the flag up in the air and shouted, "Tie!" and soaked her ties with me and Godric with her insane amount of amusement when the crowd all looked amongst themselves in shock, right before they erupted in cheers, applause, and laughter.

"I've never seen a vampire race before," someone in the crowd said while they clapped.

"Still haven't," muttered someone else, "we couldn't see a thing. Moved too damn fast."

"Can you believe that? I didn't think vampires could move so quickly."

"Makes you wonder if they pass us on a nightly basis."

Another person whistled while yet another whispered, "Who are those two? Never seen them here before."

"That girl's _hot_."

Thank God I had my shields up.

Eric slowly lowered me back to the ground, sliding me purposefully and deliciously down his body, while sending me amusement, mirth, and pride. When he set me on my feet, he whispered, "You never fail to surprise me, Miss Stackhouse."

I chuckled and responded softly, "Glad you caught me, Mr. Northman, or I likely would've shot right past you."

"Any time you want to be in my arms, min älskare, they're open to you," he murmured with a boyish smile and shivered when I caressed our tie. He then tugged on my braid gently as he asked, "How fast was Godric running?"

"Half speed," I said with a grin. I laughed when his mouth fell open and shock echoed through my ties with Eric and his progeny, who could hear us clearly. I shot her affection when her irritation sky-rocketed and her jealousy flared up, before I stroked her into purring in apology. She smiled at me and sent me back her own affection. Too bad we didn't have this blood connection when we met, it might've saved us from a lot of animosity.

Eric brought my attention back to him when his lust exploded across his ties, resulting in a similar explosion of mirth and amusement from Pam and Godric, and asked in a low voice, "Half speed? So we could race?"

"She had to use a couple of tricks to make it even," Godric cut-in and explained with a shit-eating grin. Pam and Eric's eyebrows flew up in curiosity, but Godric just winked and said, "It will make it interesting when you do race. Sookie is… _resourceful._ Though, she managed to use every ounce of strength she had and sheer willpower to move at my speed when we got within range of Fangtasia. She'll probably need a donor bag to help her rebuild her reserve quicker."

Eric nodded and wrapped his arm over my shoulder as he led us back inside, smiling devilishly at me when every pair of eyes in line followed the path Godric and I took, and joked, "You will definitely have a fan club now, lover."

I used my blood to smack him on the back of the head and laughed when he ducked.

"Children," Godric mock scolded while he flooded me with mirth. I winked at him and kept pace with Eric as he led us up to the _delightful_ throne on stage and sat us down on the chairs on either side of it while giving a signal to the vampire bartender to bring us some donor blood.

Pam started to excuse herself as we sat down by saying, "Well, now that the dinner show is over, I have a few errands to run. I need to check out the quality of some new _equipment,_ " and giving our tie a little tug to clue me in on what type of equipment. "Alcide's in town, master. He said he'd drop by later to meet Godric and Sookie."

Eric nodded and I flooded Pam with thankfulness. She gave me a soft smile, obviously liking actually being thanked when she completed a task, and turned and walked towards the exit, flashing her fangs at humans too slow to get out of her way.

"How was Bon Temps?" Eric asked as reached over and laced his hand with mine, stroking my wrist with his thumb. I didn't think he was even aware he did it. In fact, Eric had been a lot more open to physical touches and smiled more all night than what the "vermin" was used to seeing from him, _ever_. I glanced around real quick and had stifle a laugh and shield my mirth when I realized there were people staring at him in astonishment, and they weren't all humans.

"Good. Everyone's good there. It got a little rocky with Sam, but everyone else, that matters, accepted me with open arms," I said carefully. I tugged on him twice so he looked over at me and I opened my shields and pushed, _I'll show you Jason's reaction later. Godric nearly fell over laughing at one point._

He smiled slowly, freezing another couple people in their tracks with expressions of shock, and thought, _Really? He think you were a ghost?_

I shook my head and thought back, _A hallucination. Then he loaded a gun._

Eric burst into full-blown laughter and a customer spilled her drink down her dress in surprise. Luckily, she was wearing leather and could just wipe it off with a napkin.

Poor Ginger then came over and brought us each a glass of blood. She smiled at me when she handed me mine and said, "Well hiya, Sookie. It's been a while. It's good to see you!"

The scent of blood hit me just as she spoke and I dropped fang as I took the glass, startling her a little. I thanked her for the blood and she watched as I took a swallow and softly said, while smiling, "Well, isn't that something? I've been working for Pam and Eric for years, but I don't think I've ever met a vampire I knew before she was turned."

I smiled at her, which thrilled her since I'd just flashed her my fangs, and she nodded at me as she backed away, staring at me until she hit the last step and was forced to turn around. She really could be very sweet. I'd have to corner her sometime later and adjust her glamour. Maybe see if I could use that green light? I didn't want her to lose anymore of herself while she was working at Fangtasia. I'd suggest it to Eric, but I'd do it with or without his permission.

He caught my attention once more when he stroked my wrist again and chose his words carefully when he asked, "The shifter did not react well, lover?"

I sent him the exasperation I had felt when dealing with Sam, making the ends of his lips kick up, and confided, "Not at first, no. I told him he was a jackass and to grow the hell up and everything's better now."

I was paraphrasing. So sue me.

Both Eric and Godric sent me mirth and amusement for my comment. Eric's only increased when he felt Godric's blood humming in agreement.

At that point, I caught sight of Jessica on the dance floor. It looked like she had borrowed a couple things from Pam to wear tonight and was dressed in a fitted leather top, her normal blue jeans, and black stilettos. She looked up when she felt my gaze and waved at me, I nodded at her and drained the rest of the blood in my glass while she started extricating herself from her dance partner.

I turned back to Eric, giggled when I realized he'd been watching me drink _again_ , and asked, "Do you mind if Jess and I use your office for a few minutes, Eric?"

He was still watching my mouth, so I licked my lips to clean away any blood, and giggled again when I felt his disappointment. Apparently he had wanted to do that. When I retracted my fangs, he finally met my eyes, retracted his own, and said, "Go ahead. What do you need it for?"

"Jess and I are going to share blood," I said nonchalantly with a shrug.

His fangs shot right back down.

As did five other sets of fangs around the club.

I smacked him on the back of the head again with my blood and cut off the question I knew was coming when I added, "And no, you can't watch."

His disappointment flared once more while Godric's mirth seemed to reach new heights. Jessica stopped any further comments when she approached the dais, so I shot Eric a soft smile and dismounted his ridiculous stage. We walked at human speed through the crowd towards the office and we both giggled like teenagers when we heard Eric wistfully sigh and mumble, "I will have fantasies of that for weeks."

We shut the door quickly behind us and settled on the couch facing each other, tucking a leg underneath us so we could sit sideways. Jessica's excitement and need to be connected was literally burning through my veins and that need had me wishing I was old enough to be her sponsor. I would've loved to take over for Bill. Thinking about her maker though had me thinking about everything she didn't know, so I quickly perused my own memories of what Godric taught me so far about the blood and gave her a soft smile.

"Jess, before we share at all, do you know anything about the blood? Did Bill explain anything about it? Besides the fact it animates us?" I asked.

She shook her head sadly and I squeezed her hand in support. When she gave me a genuine smile, I began explaining the basics, "Okay. Well, when you give someone blood, human or supe, you'll be able to sense their locations and emotions. When someone has swallowed a good-sized quantity of your blood, you can send them emotions. Our blood is _sacred_ , Jess, there's magic in it that heals wounds, strengthens mortal bodies, gives new life, and connects us to people, so you must always be careful about who you give the gift of your blood to. You will have to live with feelin' their emotions for a very long time, so it's not a decision to make lightly."

She nodded seriously so I flashed her a smile and continued, "Once someone swallows your blood, you can focus on it. When you concentrate on the blood you give another person, you'll be able to feel the tie you have to them. Can you feel yours to me?"

She concentrated a second and smiled, "Yes, Sook. It's always so warm. I can feel my bond with Bill too, but I'm pretty sure it's shut off now. It's still there but it feels lifeless and empty."

I nodded slowly, filing that away, and added more to our mini-lesson, "Once you locate a tie, you can physically manipulate it. This is where it gets interestin' and where I kinda excel. I use my blood like a hand and stroke the tie with the magic in my blood, using my blood to physically caress and influence the connection. I can also do things like make Eric think I slapped him on the back of the head."

She burst into giggles and delight radiated across our connection. Hope was also forming that she could do that too. Jessica wouldn't know until she tried though and she needed a stronger connection before she could attempt it.

"I do _that_ , focusin' on one part of the body, by literally controlling the blood I have inside of Eric instead of the tie. He hasn't had much of my blood, so most of the things I do to him I do through my bond with Godric or a combination of the two, but he has had enough for me to slap him when he needs it," I said with a smile and she laughed again.

"Locating someone with your blood is a little different. You call to your blood inside them, almost like you're lightin' your blood up like a glowstick in the dark so you can see where they are. Focus on the blood that's movin' around inside them and order it to light up, order it to call back to you. Once you've called to that blood, you can focus on its location and can estimate how far away from you that person is. When I'm lookin' for Godric, I call to my blood and head towards it, I head towards that beacon. Once you know the general area that person is in, you'll be able to give yourself their estimated location and place them on a mental map. Since Bill has shut down the bond, you won't be able to do that with him. It's almost like a radar system and he's blocked the signal. If he had taught you these things before, you would've been able to answer his call and locate him through the blood. Now, he's shut it down for some reason, so you won't be able to find him. I'm sorry, Jess," I said apologetically.

She gave me a brave smile and confessed, "It's okay, Sookie. After realizing everything he hasn't taught me and how much he kept from me, I'm honestly starting to think him disappearing was the best thing that could've happened to me. I think I'd rather be part of your bloodline."

Everything she said made me proud and delighted me, which was something she could feel. Her smile became a genuine one and she gave me a quick hug as her tie with me radiated her thankfulness and affection for me. When she pulled back, she tested out her blood, smiled and told me she could sense my location now, and asked, "What about emotional exchange? Last night you said he taught me 'jack shit' about emotional exchange, so how do we do that?"

I laughed when she brought that up, but quickly delved into another explanation, "When it comes to emotions, the blood another person swallowed almost works like a walkie-talkie. You focus on the tie you have with that person, fill yourself with an emotion, and push it into the tie. Concentratin' on the tie and your emotion at the same time is how you push it to them. The tie then radiates it out to your own blood inside that person.'

"It's really, really hard to do if they don't have enough of your blood inside them, which is why I want to share more with you, that way we'll be able to emotionally reach out to each other, understand?" I asked, pleased when she nodded.

"So, in summary, givin' your blood to someone lets you feel what they do, physically locate them, and allows you to push emotions to them. Drinkin' someone's blood allows them to know all that and do that to _you_. Jess, you can tell what I'm feeling and, with a stronger tie, can send me emotions, but I wouldn't be able to push emotions to you unless you drank my blood. If you share blood with someone at the same time, drinkin' from each other simultaneously, you'll be starting a bond. That's called _exchanging_ and a whole other thing, though, that we'll talk about some other time. I do not want you to even be considerin' exchanging without talking to me," I stressed. "It means something different to vampires and bonding is the _most_ _sacred_ _thing_ we can do with our blood, so don't exchange with anybody until we have more time to talk about it first and go over everything it means, okay?"

The door had opened while I was speaking and I was nearly bowled over with pride, I glanced behind me and realized Godric had slipped in. I gave him a brief smile and turned back to Jessica, I wanted this to get through to her and she could feel that through her tie with me.

"Okay, Sookie. I'm glad you told me that, I could've accidentally started a bond with someone," she said worriedly. I squeezed her hand and stroked my tie with Godric when I felt his own concern for her and his disappointment in her maker.

"We'll make sure you learn this stuff, Jess. You got a sponsor now and a potential new bloodline if you accept her," I said. Godric was nodding, but feeling extremely reflective in the tie, and Jess smiled brilliantly and agreed. "Okay, I want you to drink my blood first. I have extremely good control over my emotions and blood, and the more you drink the more I can help you control your bloodlust while you're drinking. That way things won't get, uh, complicated when we share," I said with a chuckle and Jess blushed in our tie.

"Sookie, is that what you did last night with Jess and Pam?" Godric asked with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, it was so difficult though, Godric. That's part of the reason I want Jess to drink more, it's just too difficult to push things to her and there just ain't enough in her to tamp down on major bloodlust if something happens. With Pam, I used the bond with you and reached out across Eric's maker-child bond to her when she drank. It was easier to suppress Pam's lust that way and I didn't have to physically manipulate the drop she swallowed," I admitted.

He nearly bowled me over with pride all over again as he observed, "Sookie, I don't know many who can control their blood while someone is in the process of swallowing it. That's amazing." He then tugged on the bond twice and I opened my shields to hear him think, _It sounds like you're manipulating the toxicity. If you can use one drop as they're drinking it to tamp down on that bloodlust, you may as well be._

I nodded slowly and pushed back, _Yeah, but if many people bit me at once or I was focused on something else, I don't think I'd be able to control the effects then._

He flooded me with understanding and agreement, so I turned back to Jess and gave her another smile and said, "When you drink from me, you have to pull on the wound. I don't have a beatin' heart like humans do, so you'll have to suck. Godric's gonna help me suppress my own reaction when you do. Ready?"

She nodded so I slid my jacket off and lifted my wrist. Jessica took it gently and dropped fang as she lifted it to her mouth and bit down. I immediately became more predatory when she dropped her fangs and dropped my own while my emotions tightened. It felt _incredible_ to have someone feed from me, so I gladly handed the reins over to my predator and let her decrease my lust as much as she could. Every vein in my body seemed to hum when she drank and I would have definitely been aroused if Godric hadn't taken it from there and tamped down on the rest. I purred as the blood took hold and was already using my blood to stifle Jess's own lust the second she pierced my skin. I allowed the feeling of unity, connectedness, to filter through and pushed it towards her. She rolled her eyes and wanted to purr herself.

After four swallows, Godric tugged on the bond and I pulled back, disengaging her mouth and waking her up a little. My blood was potent and it was fairy blood, so I had to work like the dickens to keep her from feeling drunk. She smiled at me and finally let out that purr.

When she finished drinking, I could feel Jess just as clearly as I could feel Eric when Godric reopened their bond. We both retracted our fangs and my emotions came flaring back to normal levels before I gave her an illustration of the control I had and caressed our tie, she shivered and her purr grew twice as loud until she burst into laughter. Godric and I quickly joined her in it.

When she got control of herself, she licked her lips and said, "Sookie, you do taste really, really, _really good._ You taste better than human blood."

I shielded my blood's response when I asked, pretending to be confused, "Really?"

"Really, really," she said with an exaggerated nod.

Okay, maybe she was a little drunk, after all.

I redoubled my efforts suppressing the effects of my blood while amping up her concentration and level of focus and her expression immediately sobered.

"Amazing, Sookie," Godric murmured as he watched me adjust my blood's effects, our bond warmed with awe and pride while he spoke. I smiled and flooded him with gratitude.

"Ready, Sook?" Jess asked.

She looked the picture of sobriety so I nodded and raised her wrist to my mouth and bit down. I smothered her lust completely, drowning it in whatever blood I had left that wasn't already working to sober her up. As I pulled on the wound, she just sat there casually, like she didn't have a care in the world. I pulled four times to equal the playing field between us before sealing the wound and releasing her arm. Realistically, none of needed to seal each other's wounds, but everyone in my bloodline did it as a sign of respect and to show our affection.

Jessica fiddled around with our connection when she felt it take root. She tried her own caress, which felt more like being patted by a toddler, a fact that made my lips twitch. She giggled herself when she analyzed what she was doing to the tie.

"I guess I have to work on that, huh?" she asked.

I nodded and admitted, "It doesn't appear to be your natural gift, but you'll get better with practice. I promise… I should also tell you that emotional exchange can increase the strength of a connection, the more you send and receive emotions, the stronger it'll become."

She nodded and pushed me gratitude, pulsing with excitement when she realized it went through. I pushed pride towards her and she purred. It looked like Jessica didn't need much encouragement to make that happy, vampire noise. Godric chuckled and asked her if she could feel anyone else in her blood. After concentrating, she realized she could, but she could only feel their locations and their hum of life. She gave us huge smiles when we explained it was our bloodline.

"Jess, there's a lot more we can do with our blood. I only explained the basics tonight. We'll either talk about it more in-depth later or you can ask Pam, okay?" I asked.

We both smiled again when she pushed me understanding. We spent about ten minutes exchanging emotions with each other and testing out what she could physically do with her blood. Godric gave her helpful tips on her control and making her pushes smoother and we were listening to him talk about the most unique things he's ever done with the blood when I felt them.

Vampire minds had surrounded the club on all sides and were closing in. Fast.


	22. Chapter 22: Desecration of the Blood

_**A/N:**_

 _I know, I know! That cliffhanger wasn't very nice of me, was it? I don't have many cliffies so I use 'em when I see 'em. I wasn't planning on posting anymore until tomorrow, but I found some extra free time to turn out a couple more chapters today. Lucky you!_

 _I'm gonna give a shout out to kxrx for letting me know what the best parts of my story are. I'll try to keep up the maker/child dynamic you love so much. I'd love to hear from the rest of you too! Thank you, kxrx, and SORRY! Stop sharpening your stake and polishing your silver, the next chapter's right here... This one is one of_ _ **my**_ _favorites. Hope you like it too._

 _Oh, before I forget, I know Eric glamoured Alcide in Season 5 of True Blood, but I decided to alter that. As far as I know, the two-natured in SVM weren't glamourable (yes, I did just create my own word there, but it fits perfectly, doesn't it?) and I decided to incorporate that tidbit in order to highlight how differently Sookie's abilities work. I love the fact vampires can't glamour them in my world because of their animal natures. It just emphasizes the fact that Sookie is something more than vampire. She's a new species, and she's the ultimate predator._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own True blood or SVM, the characters, or their plots. It all belongs to HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris. I'm just a kitten who purrs when I get to play with them._

* * *

Alarm shot through me and Godric and Jessica's heads whipped towards me while I focused on all the minds approaching. I found one that thought in English and while I was digging through his thoughts, the door flung open and Eric entered, quickly shutting it closed behind him.

I turned to Godric and pushed him my influence before I met Eric's eyes and did the same. I simultaneously pulled with my telepathy and thought, _The Magister's here. His guards have surrounded the club._

 _All right, dear one. When we speak to the Magister,_ _ **do not read him**_ _. He is_ _ **very**_ _observant and I do not want to risk the chance he may notice something._ I relayed everything he sent to Eric and nodded when I felt Eric agree with him.

 _Yes, master. I'll shield his thoughts and stay outta his head... Master, I'm gonna send Jess away with the crowd, he's the reason she was turned and I'm worried Jess might attack him, plus I don't want attention drawn to the fact she's Compton's progeny. I'll tell her to wait by the children's store down the street._

They nodded as I turned back to Jess, shielded my all too honest blood, and lied like a dog, "I forgot the Magister was stopping by, Jess. I know-" her fangs dropped and she hissed while protectiveness burst across our connection, "Jess, I know he used you to punish Bill, but I need you to focus right now. You. Will. Retract. Your. Fangs." My emotions had tightened again and my voice had become predatory as I spoke. The only emotions I could clearly feel were protectiveness, concern, possessiveness, and urgency.

She quickly realized her mistake and retracted them while bowing her head, so I continued, "You will leave the club with the crowd and wait in the parking lot over by the Toys 'R' Us, understand?"

Jessica hissed and flew to her feet as refusal burned down our tie. I vamped in front of her before she could move again and growled at her before I angrily hissed, "You will not defy me in this, Jessica Hamby! It is an _order_ , not a request. _Go with the crowd_ **_now_** _._ "

I could feel it when she accepted the order. She searched my face desperately for a second, came to the realization I meant it, and vamped from the room, smoothly sliding into the dispersing crowd. More of my emotions returned with every step away she took. I looked to Godric and he nodded at me while flooding me with pride before then turning and vamping out of the room. Eric gave me a wicked grin, shot me friskiness, and vamped after him.

I may have slapped the back of his head once again before I followed.

When I came to a stop, I had positioned myself to the left and behind Godric. He was the eldest of our bloodline, so during formal greetings this is where my position was, in the place indicating his youngest progeny. Eric was the second eldest in the line and Godric's second, his right hand, so he stood off to the right and behind him, standing a few feet from me but even with me, and crossed his arms over his chest. He shot me a wink and sent me his mirth.

I'm glad he enjoyed that head slap. He was spoiling for another one.

Before he could smirk at me for feeling that in my blood, and I could feel he wanted to, the crowd had finally thinned out and the Magister approached, spinning his cane and slowing his pace when he saw Godric, pausing almost imperceptibly before coming closer and cautiously stating, "Godric. I didn't know you would be here."

He should be cautious. He was in the room with three extremely powerful and talented vampires.

He just hadn't realized it yet.

He ran his eyes over Eric and I briefly, lingering on me for a second as he took in our positions and came to the realization Godric had turned someone new. We hadn't wanted people to find out until we met up with Eric. With the Magister's visit, word would now quickly spread among the more powerful and reach the ears of the ancients. I had no doubt they would seek us out slowly to evaluate me and I also had no doubt I would be facing a few challenges from their own progenies when they did.

Sickly, it was how they entertained themselves.

"Magister," Godric said with a nod before sending me a little mischief and added in a cheery voice, "What a coincidence, I had no idea you would be here either."

I sent him my amusement and a light slap on the knee, delighting him when he felt my "knee-slapper," which was a much more amusing joke. The Magister chuckled and acknowledged the unplanned visit by admitting, "I hadn't planned to be. We got a tip that I'm afraid we must check out," he waved at the guards and signaled them to begin searching as he spoke, "even if I don't believe it to be true, I must follow it up, you understand, yes?"

"I do, Magister. May I ask you what the allegation is?" Godric asked.

A formality. We knew damn well what it was.

"The selling of vampire blood," the Magister skeptically confirmed for us. Godric showered me in pride and Eric sent me thankfulness in response. "I don't really understand the tip myself. Last night we confirmed a missing vampire in Sheriff Northman's area was the one selling vampire blood, so I'm not exactly sure why we'd be sent here as well."

"Perhaps someone is trying to throw you off their scent, maybe they are working with this missing vampire?" Godric offered contemplatively and planted the seed of suspicion. The Magister's eyes narrowed, obviously not having thought of that while Eric's glee literally pulsed in my veins. He was enjoying this way too much.

"I should hope not," the Magister said in a low, dark tone. The guards filed out one by one and shook their heads in the negative when he raised his eyebrows at them, so he added, "But I guess it's now a possibility I should look into."

Eric's glee shot up like a geyser and Godric nearly had to suppress it. Thankfully, Eric immediately reeled it back in when we flooded him with concern and wariness, he then pushed us a rueful apology when he felt my maker bond with Godric morph into nothing but pure relief from us both.

"The vampire responsible for the V, Magister, is it who I think it is? The one I reported missing?" Eric asked with a smirk.

The Magister gave him a nod while tapping his cane against the floor and sighing, "Yes, it is, Sheriff. We originally thought him to be a victim, but we got a call at our office during the day that changed our minds, a tip from a former dealer who checks out. He was being threatened into selling V by a vampire living in his town, but apparently was terrorized out of ever touching the poison again. You're work, I believe." He grinned darkly when Eric shrugged and nodded. "We discovered V in the vampire's home, from where he was selling it before trying to force the dealer's hand."

"That would explain why I didn't notice an increase of V related crime in my club," Eric theorized, flooding me with glee and gratitude simultaneously for the excuse, delighted he got to use it.

"Indeed, it would," the Magister agreed seriously.

Eric paused for a second, having a small internal debate. I took a peek into his head, caught a glimpse of his thoughts and pushed him encouragement. Godric had asked me not to read the Magister, he hadn't mentioned Eric or himself. Eric flushed me with gratitude and began addressing him again, sprinkling lies all over his truth as he stated, "Magister, the progeny of the missing vampire experienced the maker's call sometime last night and notified me. When she tracked it to its source, she found the bodies of a couple werewolves based out of a pack in Jackson, Mississippi. She smelled vampire blood on them, a combination of blood that belonged to her maker… and someone else."

He let out a curse and asked, "Another defiler of the blood or just colluders?"

"Both are possibilities, Magister," Eric said carefully.

In reality, Eric knew Bill had been kidnapped, so it was a separate offender. I'd read his mind and discovered he knew Bill was missing because he had planned to kidnap Bill himself for threatening to turn Eric in for dealing V, even though he'd been ordered to do it. Eric was planning on _having a talk_ with Bill to find out how Bill even knew that. Eric's own hired kidnappers had shown up just as Bill was being driven off, which didn't matter because I answered that question for Eric last night when I revealed to him Bill was donating his blood to the Queen's coffers.

On top of that, we knew this particular offender was possibly the biggest defiler in vampire history and was providing blood to Weres, but we had a very different plan for approaching the V provider in Mississippi. The Magister could either bar us from taking a closer look or take over it himself. Both options were unacceptable to us, so Eric led him down another path.

"The progeny, can she track him?"

I sent Eric a push in the negative, which he responded to with understanding. Eric knew I had to have taught Jessica the basics about the blood in order to properly share with her, so he also knew if I were pushing him this, then Jessica couldn't find him in her blood even after I taught her how to search for him. There would be only one explanation for that.

"Unfortunately she cannot, Magister. He shut down their bond sometime after he called to her. He hadn't taught his progeny how to search her blood, so she had difficulty tracking the call and he was gone by the time she arrived," Eric answered.

The Magister paused for a moment, tapping his cane in a rapid staccato as he considered everything, before hypothesizing, "Hmm. It sounds like it's very possible he's in the wind, that he didn't teach her for a reason. On a whim, he decided to keep her and called to her. When she took too long, he abandoned her. Either that or he called for help. If that's the case though, I don't understand why he wouldn't have taught her that fundamental tool."

I do, because he was _jackass_ and a _shitty_ _maker_.

"Have I met this vampire, Magister?" Godric asked, lacing his voice with curiosity. "This defiler of the sacred blood?"

"William Compton?" he asked in return. Godric slowly shook his head no and the Magister continued, "He's a messy feeder. We smelled death in his house. We also found proof tonight that he was using his own blood in one of the batches left at his house when we ran it through the lab."

My predator flexed its claws when the Magister said his name, instantly drawing his focus. I felt edgier, wilder, but also eerily calmer. My emotions had tightened, grown smaller, but hadn't disappeared. I felt predatory, but not threatened, so I hadn't completely bottomed out. The predator inside brushed it's fur along my skin, letting the Magister get a glimpse of the strength I carried. I loosened my muscles while he watched and purred, "Now _, why doesn't that surprise me_?"

The Magister's eyebrows shot up and he moved closer while I tried not to laugh with all the amusement Godric and Eric were sending me. My comment had a double-meaning, and it entertained them to no end. He stopped approaching me about a foot and a half in front of Godric and kept his eyes on me as he asked him, "You have a new progeny, Godric?"

"I do, Magister," he answered while flushing my veins with pride, "I turned her a month ago in Dallas. Her name is Sookie-"

"A month ago? Around the time the Fellowship held you?" the Magister interrupted while flicking his gaze back to my maker.

I couldn't help it when I hissed. I was in predator mode and the Fellowship had killed me. I hadn't attacked anyone from the Fellowship, even when we used them as prey to practice tracking, but everything about the church including the name itself simply pissed me off.

His eyes immediately flew back to mine while Godric explained, "Exactly then, Magister. Sookie was sent there to search for me. I guess you could say we ended up saving each other."

A look of pure astonishment crossed his face before his stony mask slammed back into position. He took a half a step closer to me, knowing Godric would step into his path if he got too close, and seemed to be fixing every feature of my face into his memory as he asked, "Who _are_ you?"

I guess that was a step up from _What are you?_

I gave him props for originality.

Thankfully, I was saved from answering that very loaded question when Eric took pity on him and prompted, "This is Sookie _Stackhouse_ , Magister. Maybe you remember her name from the Compton trial?"

He nodded quickly as he backed up once again, a little like he'd been doing the vampire hokey pokey all night, and considered everything he knew about Bill Compton.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Compton killed one of his own kind to protect a human," he said with disdain. He concentrated, apparently thumbing through his mental files for a second, and when he recognized my name his eyes lit up. "Well, now, if he had killed Longshadow _after_ you were turned, Miss Stackhouse, I may have been able to forgive him. Okay, maybe just given him a lesser punishment, I still would've had to punish him for being such an arrogant shit. You say selling his own blood doesn't surprise you?" he questioned, asking me for clarification.

I quirked and eyebrow but didn't say a word because Eric nodded and jumped in for me heatedly, "Yes, it seems Compton's nefarious blood dealings aren't limited to just the selling of his blood, Magister."

"What do you mean?" the Magister pushed with a wicked gleam in his eyes, keeping those same eyes trained on me, studying my every languid movement.

"Compton was drugging my progeny with blood, Magister. She saved him from drainers the night they met. Compton attempted to _give her_ _his_ _blood_ in thanks," the Magister raised his brows at me in question and I nodded, " She refused, so he later glamoured the drainers to beat her and then appeared as she was on the verge of death to 'save her' using copious amounts of blood. When it looked like she might be resisting his control, he fed her even more of his blood, abusing the fact she was wounded when she was attacked by a supernatural creature on the way to Fangtasia. Eric had to keep him from overcooking her. When she rose vampire, every emotion she felt for him was gone. In fact, she could barely tolerate him," Godric explained for me. "We suspect he was working for another," he added, omitting _who_ that suspect was and leaving the Magister looking even more intrigued.

"Why? Why do you believe he was working for someone?" the Magister asked.

"I told you at the trial Compton killed Longshadow to protect a girl who was _useful_ , who was _valuable,_ yes? Well, Sookie used to be telepathic before she was turned," Eric said, responding for me yet again.

The Magister nearly vibrated with curiosity with Eric's answer, which I wasn't so sure was a good thing. I didn't think it was very smart to keep piquing his interest, but I trusted my maker and my vampire brother, so I guess I would let them continue to handle it. For now.

"So you believe he wanted to procure you," he observed and we all nodded. "Are you still telepathic?"

Godric and Eric turned to look at me, so I guess I was allowed to field this one myself. I kept my eyes on the Magister the entire time they spoke, not even turning to acknowledge them while the Magister still held my gaze. As long as he was looking at me that intently, my eyes would not waiver. Vampire Sookie told me to do this, like she was whispering into my blood not to look away. Her instincts had been amazing so far and were keeping my bloodline alive, so I trusted her and did what she asked.

"No, Magister. It seems that ability died with my heartbeat. Sometimes I can feel emotions, but no thoughts, thankfully," I said, infusing my voice with the genuine relief I had felt when I had discovered my new mental shields to make it convincing.

"Thankfully?" he repeated, puzzled.

"I would assume the mind of a vampire would be a very frightening place to be," I said sweetly, with a smile. Eric and Godric barely kept straight faces with this comment. After all, I had been in their minds since the moment they saw me with fangs. Not to mention I had just insinuated my own mind was just as frightening. Mirth bloomed in my veins from them both.

The Magister laughed and said, "I agree. Tell me, Miss Stackhouse, can you feel any emotions from me?"

"Only the obvious, Magister," I replied. He shot me a raised eyebrow while he twirled his cane. "Intrigue," I said and shrugged. It was true. He was very, very intrigued. He was also full of lust, which was so _not_ gonna happen. He laughed genuinely at my response, delighted with my wit.

"You're right, I am very intrigued. It's not often you hear of a human who faced drainers in defense of a vampire or one strong enough to offer resistance against the influence of the blood. I could see why you would appeal to Godric as a progeny. It's despicable that Compton thanked you by drowning you in blood. He has no respect," he said with a sigh.

With those words, I felt this could be just the opportunity we needed, so I sent Godric a very specific push that said, "May I?" He deliberated a moment and nodded his head fractionally.

"Magister, would it be possible to have a moment alone with Compton after he's caught?" I asked. "My master will supervise, of course."

His eyebrows flew up to his hairline, then his eyes narrowed and he asked, voice laced with disbelief, "You cannot still have feelings for the one who drugged you?"

Eric stiffened, I sent him an emotional eye-roll and a small admonishment for even considering it, which was enough to relax him instantly and earn me a sheepish apology through the tie in response.

"Yes, Magister, I do. _Just not the ones I died with,_ " I purred and dropped my fangs.

To everyone's surprise, so did he. I think he even surprised himself. He took a step closer to me, cocked his head to the side like a Labrador and examined my face closely, searching my eyes for something. Very slowly, he smiled and said, "Yes, child, I do think that would be possible."

I could feel myself become more predatory with his answer. My emotions tightened again and my limbs became limper, looser. He watched me, riveted, as the vampire in me became stronger, closer to the skin. I purred again, saying, " _Excellent, Magister_. Thank you."

The Magister's smile grew slightly and he began to circle me slowly, methodically, as he twirled his cane. Godric backed up a little to allow him room, but was still poised to step in if he felt I was threatened. The Magister made two rotations around me before he came to a stop between me and Godric and asked him, while keeping his eyes trained on me, "She's not like the typical newborn, is she?"

Eric tensed, now picking up on the Magister's _other_ interest in me. Possessiveness started to pulsate in his veins and I flooded him with reassurance. I wasn't going to jump the Magister just because he was interested. I mean, ew.

"No, she is not, Magister. My progeny is unique. I believe control may be a gift of hers," Godric answered, surprising me and Eric by revealing one of my gifts, though the only actual reaction we gave was through our blood. Godric responded to our surprise with reassurance and strength. He hadn't sent me caution, so I wasn't too worried about the interest of the Magister. Yet.

He started circling me again. I stretched myself lazily, like a cat, becoming even looser under the more predatory movements of the Magister.

"She acts like an ancient," he observed, fascinated. "Her emotions?" he asked, while trailing his eyes up and down my form.

"At this point, Magister, nearly non-existent," Godric responded with a bored tone of voice.

The Magister paused, finally pulling his eyes away from me and looked at Godric, "Non-existent?"

"Her control is like no other I have ever seen. Her emotions have lessened even more while we've been speaking. Right now, she feels nothing. She is now the perfect predator," Godric answered honestly.

I purred. Vampire Sookie liked being called that.

The Magister brought his gaze back to mine and murmured, "Yes, I believe she is."

He finally retracted his fangs and mine followed suit. I couldn't even attempt to retract them when he was acting aggressively. When in predator mode, I seriously thought the only time I showed submission was to Godric. Maybe it was the knowledge I had extra abilities or maybe it was stupidity, but when I knew I could elude my challenger or make a move, I just _couldn't_ bow my head or lower my eyes. Maybe that was what the Magister had been looking for? Submission? Godric had asked me to avoid reading the Magister, so I had prevented myself from doing so, even though his actions had piqued my interest. Vampire Sookie was completely submissive to Godric, so when he made a request of me or gave me an order, Vampire Sookie usually treated it as a command in predator mode.

"Have you pledged fealty yet, Godric?" the Magister asked as he stepped back in front of my maker, switching to a business tone, bringing his eyes away from mine to meet Godric's, and leaning on his cane. Eric lazily walked over to me as he spoke, wrapped his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my head. I wanted to laugh at his actions, as did Godric. He wasn't shouting "MINE!" but Eric was still staking a claim. I let him though and laid my hands over his. If anyone did have a claim on me, it was Eric. Besides, I certainly didn't want an offer to join the Magister when he left. I would end up offending him and it would be much better if he left feeling some level of affection towards me instead of anger. How he felt for me could either make my life a little easier or incredibly more difficult.

Guess which I preferred.

"I have not, Magister. I was going to approach the Queen with my progeny to swear fealty within the week," he answered carefully, not sure where this was going.

"Good. I would be very pleased if you could be persuaded to take a trip up to Mississippi for me and see if there is anything to this lead on Compton. A former sheriff, such as yourself, would be aware of all the angles involved here and, as someone who has not pledged fealty, you and your progeny would be welcomed and I believe your presences might even be… _courted_ ," he said with a closed-lipped smile.

I couldn't help my reaction to his request. My predator liked the idea too much and I purred. To be the ones tasked officially to hunt down Compton? It was far too tempting an idea for me. Godric shot me his mirth for my reaction.

"Ahh, it would seem your progeny would be in favor, and you?" he asked smugly.

Godric took a moment to feign consideration. We had planned on it anyway and it would actually make it much easier for us if we could travel on official business, but Godric had to pretend to have no interest in this matter other than what we had already revealed to him, which was my need for some alone time with Billy Boy to express myself. Otherwise, the Magister would realize we had an ulterior motive and he would definitely bar us from Mississippi if he thought we could cause any problems there. Finally, he turned and looked towards me.

"It would be a good opportunity to see how she fared at court," he said contemplatively, then turned back to the Magister and gave him a quick nod. "And if there is something to this lead?"

The Magister smiled sinisterly and said, "Either you can call my office or… you could give your progeny more than a moment alone with him. I just need him back undead, not necessarily in one piece."

My fangs dropped again and I growled. The Magister chuckled, thrilled with my reaction, and shot towards me at vamp speed. I understood what his intention was and fluidly dropped my right hand to my side before he had even come to a stop. Eric tensed again and gently squeezed my waist, ready to push me behind him, so I sent him the need for trust. He loosened his limbs and answered by flooding me with it.

I may not have been feeling emotions, but I did register his trust and how great a deal it was since Eric had previously only ever trusted Godric and Pam.

When the Magister stopped, he gracefully grabbed my hand and kissed it, at which point understanding leaked into the tie, and he said, "Miss Stackhouse, I can honestly say it has been a pleasure. Please make sure to give Mr. Compton _my regards_. I hope to see you again when you return from Mississippi." I nodded in response. After all, I still had my fangs out. "Sheriff Northman, Godric," he added, straightening up and nodding to each of them before gathering his guards at the door and heading out.

All three of us were silent for a moment before Eric quietly remarked, "He knows your scent now." If I turned around, I was pretty sure I would find him glaring at the door.

"No, he doesn't," I denied and retracted my fangs. He just sent me his confusion and Godric quirked an eyebrow at me. "He knows ours, because you are on me like white on rice."

Godric finally broke down and laughed.

Eric just dipped his head to the crook of my neck and ran his nose across my collarbone and shoulder, scenting me, before dreamily sighing out, "Now that would be a beautiful combination."

He then fell into a fantasy where every vampire automatically kept a fifty foot radius from me because his scent was combined with mine, having marked me like a dog would a fire hydrant. Bonding would combine our scents, but I was not about to bond with him just so he would feel more at ease having me around other vampires.

I shot him an emotional eye-roll before closing my eyes and concentrating on an earlier memory of Jessica telling me how much she wanted to feel connected to me, to be my kin, and the emotions I had experienced during that conversation. When I opened my eyes again, Fairy Sookie was firmly in control and Vampire Sookie had officially left the building.

"Amazing," Eric whispered, his breath ghosting across my ear and causing a delicious shiver to work its way down my spine. Godric's blood softly hummed in agreement.

"What is?" I asked softly.

"Your emotions, Sookie. How you bring yourself back. You are amazing," he explained in the same hushed tone and kissed the sensitive spot behind my ear. He seriously had to quit saying things like that or I would start writing a book called, "Confessions of a Viking Vampire Sheriff." If I could use the photo of him as Mr. January in Fangtasia's calendar for the cover, I would be a best-selling author.

Since I knew Eric wouldn't be letting me publish _that_ manuscript anytime soon, I relaxed back into his embrace and stroked our tie to reward him for such a beautiful compliment. This time, _he_ shivered.

"Godric, why did you tell him about my emotional control?" I asked as Eric started nuzzling my hair. I was getting seriously good about learning to talk while in the middle of being sexually taunted. I had a feeling it would be my most common state of being with Eric around to torment me for eternity.

Godric sighed, "You've caught the eye of the Magister, Sookie, which is excellent for our mission in Mississippi. However, when something catches the eye of the Magister, he investigates it to death until he's sated his curiosity. By telling him it's your vampire gift, he's sated his thirst for the origins of what makes you unique and will not dig further into you. By telling him what I did, he will not look into your life or your heritage searching for what makes you different. Though, now, he has other desires he wants satisfied.'

"The Magister respects strength, which is what he saw in you. He collects people of strength. He makes them allies, which makes him more powerful. If he deems them a threat rather than an ally, he seeks to eliminate them quickly. He is evaluating you, my child," he looked at me tenderly and spoke with empathy, "and deliberating on whether or not you will be enemy or ally. He began by questioning you to satisfy his curiosity, and then he moved onto challenging you to find out if you do have as strong a backbone as you appear to have. Now, he has decided to test you with this trip to Mississippi. If you pass his test to his satisfaction, he will embrace you as a friend and you will have gained a powerful and loyal ally until your true death- unless you ever betray him."

"And if I fail?" I breathed. Eric stilled, becoming as lifeless as a marble statue. Anxiety rolled off of him and through our tie.

Godric stared intently into my eyes as he drilled the importance of this evaluation into my head and stated, "Because you have made it to this phase, he now believes you to be too strong to leave you to your own devices. He'll find a way to destroy you if you fail. _So we must make sure you pass_. When you do, _and you will_ , another one of the most powerful vampires in America will work to protect you, Sookie. Though not one of the oldest vampires, he's definitely one of the most powerful.'

"Plus, if he deems you worthy as an ally," he sighed and smiled wistfully, "he will open the door for you to other powerful and influential people and you can begin your own base of allies. In reality, if we can win him over, this could be something that tips the balance for you and you could potentially gain enough favor among an elite class of vampires that you would be safe even if vampires were to discover your heritage and abilities. I would never, ever want you to be in that position, daughter, but this test with the Magister could very well be the thing to save your life one day." His determination to see me through this and his hope that I would be protected swelled within the bond while he spoke. My trepidation did as well.

"If I don't fail," I stressed. I was beginning to panic, but Eric and Godric flooded me with tranquility and security.

"If you do not fail," Godric repeated with a nod. "Especially since the Magister seems to believe you truly are the perfect predator. He will never allow you to be left to your own machinations if you cannot gain his approval because, with that one observation he made about you behaving like an ancient, about believing you to be a perfect predator, he has also labeled you as his potentially greatest threat."

Mother _trucker_.

"How do you know this, master?" Eric asked, stunned. Like me, he had completely missed the undertones to what happened with the Magister. Eric had no idea an elite group of vampires just extended an invitation to me to compete in their games. He had no idea there was another meaning attached to being _courted_.

"Because I once evaluated him, I once was him, and he was Sookie. He passed my test and became part of my collection," Godric confessed.

Great, I was being challenged and evaluated by a powerful vampire trained by my maker. Godric was a thousand times stronger, better, and smarter than me. How was I supposed to pass a test by someone trained by him, with hundreds of years more experience than me? I didn't even realize I was trembling until Eric lifted his hands from my waist and wrapped his arms around me higher up, crossing them over my chest to rest his hands on my upper arms, and squeezed gently, doing his best to make me feel safe by surrounding me with his presence.

"She's just a baby vamp with great emotional control to him," Eric whispered, "so what does he really see being accomplished with this, master?"

"Nothing, Eric. He sees her _potential_ for accomplishments. And his instincts are spot on. Sookie is already one of the most potentially powerful vampires in the world. She is nothing but _pure potential_ ," Godric whispered back, this time infusing our bond with pride. It didn't matter though. I was still as scared as a church mouse in a snake pit.

Realizing his pride and security weren't enough, he put himself in front of me at vamp speed, placed a hand on each cheek, and said, "I have complete confidence you can pass this test. And if you don't, you are forgetting about one of the new and amazing abilities you have, Sookie. If you fail this test, you can glamour him into barely remembering you and make him think that you were unremarkable, that he never challenged you and this was a favor between him and me. But, child, I have every faith that you can do it." He finished this with a kiss to my forehead and a mountain's worth of faith and confidence being poured into the bond. When Eric added to it, my unease finally subsided and I realized my own blood was humming in agreement. My own blood believed I was capable of it.

Godric and Eric laughed when they caught on to my epiphany and Eric chuckled out, "Vampire Sookie thinks you're capable of it too. Her instincts are usually magnificent, so I think you should listen to her, lover." He laughed again when he felt my lust kick up.

Stupid pet names.

"Why hasn't Eric been _courted_ like this, Godric? He's stronger than me, older than me, and definitely has a backbone," I pointed out. It surprised me Eric hadn't understood what had been happening with the Magister either, which in turn led me to the conclusion he hadn't been extended the same invitation. I felt Eric's curiosity rise too as I asked this.

Godric gave us a beautiful smile as he dropped his hands and said, "Eric is a sheriff who already has his own retinue and a base of allies. He's also part of my own base. The Magister knows this and he knows you're no older than a month old, so you don't have a base- though you have made an ally of Thalia already. You simply haven't been vampire long enough to create a strong base. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if the group of people the Magister associates with extends an invitation to him upon completion of this test. With his connection to you and me, it would be a natural course of action to include Eric as well. He'll be given his own challenge, one likely to be more difficult because of his age and strengths, if they do decide to approach him."

Eric nodded, understanding he was facing his own life or death challenge soon, though they probably wouldn't try to seek his destruction if he had his own powerful collection of allies in his toolbox.

Lucky him.

Apparently, Eric then decided the conversation was over because he dropped his head back to my neck with renewed vigor and began tasting my skin.

Lucky _me._

Godric chuckled as my eyebrows rose, sent me mischief, and said, "I'm going to go check on Jessica and make sure she understands why you ordered her away, Sookie. She might not completely comprehend you were doing it for her emotional well-being."

I nodded in agreement and pushed gratitude and my concern for her into the bond. Godric shot me a tender smile and left the room at vamp speed.


	23. Chapter 23: Driven to Distraction

_**A/N:**_

 _So? Was the last chapter worth the wait? Here's hoping!_

 _[1] I've starting incorporating some Swedish into the story and I may have forgotten to translate an earlier phrase. "Min älskare" means "My lover." There's some more Swedish coming up and I'm warning you all now, I don't speak Swedish. I find the language beautiful, but the only words I understand I learned from phrases repeatedly used in TB/SVM fanfics. I used Google to translate my Swedish, so if it's not a proper translation or I used the wrong words, feel free to correct me. I'd appreciate it!_

 _[Translation update] Thank you to my Swedish reader who corrected Eric's line for me. You are currently my second favorite Swede (we all know who my first is). You know who you are and thank you for your help. If I screwed it up again, let me know because I did it on my iPhone and it hates me. It told me so._

 _[2] This chapter gets a little lemony. More like it's lemon flavored than an actual lemon. Keep in mind this is my first fanfic, so if I suck at it, I'm sorry. I know I've been teasing you all with lemon juice for a while now but keeping the actual fruit tucked away... I promise it's coming soon. Not in the next chapter, but soon._

 _I cracked myself up with this chapter. My older sister stopped by my place while I was proof-reading it and gave me the strangest look since I was doubled over laughing. Then I read it to her. She thinks I'm insane, but funny. She also asked me the same question I constantly ask myself when I'm writing, "Where the hell do you get this stuff?"_

 _I blame the V._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris own True Blood and SVM. I just find ways to twist it all up and make myself a pretzel. Thankfully, it's pretty yummy._

* * *

I knew what he was doing. Both Godric and I knew I could've swelled my tie with Jessica with the need to see her and she would've been back here faster than a racecar driver. Instead, Godric left the bar to go to her, leaving me alone with Eric.

Sneaky maker.

Of course, Eric hadn't even realized Godric left, because he was so enthralled with the taste of my skin. His observational skills around me truly sucked, which I kind of took as a compliment. It was nice to know he found me so _distracting._

He could be pretty distracting too.

Like how he was currently driving me to distraction with his mouth.

I turned around in his arms, derailing the master plans of his taste buds and throwing him off his game. He slowly lifted his head while I lifted my arms to encircle his neck and planted my hands at his nape to give a little tug to the hair gathered there. He threw me a quizzical look, still not realizing we were alone.

Well, if he hadn't noticed, then I wasn't about to point it out to him. Eric could take things pretty far pretty fast.

Also a lot like a racecar driver.

Instead of provoking his lust, I honestly didn't need to anyway; he'd notice any second, I said, "You flooded me with trust."

He nodded and shot me a raised eyebrow, as if to say, " _So?"_

I gave him a brilliant smile while reaching into our tie and caressing him through the blood, I may have caressed him a little longer and more provocatively than normal, while I whispered, "You've only ever trusted your maker and your progeny. You _trust_ _me_ , now?"

I guess I stroked him just a hint too intimately because he literally trembled under my caress and his fangs dropped, therefore causing mine to drop. Sometimes I thought they operated on the same remote control trigger and someone liked pressing them for fun to see what we would do. Eric's eyes left mine slowly, looking up and finally noticing for the first time that Godric had left, before looking back down to meet my eyes only to find me with my eyebrows raised. He then proceeded to give me a lazy, boyish smile.

 _Ah, there it is._

And suddenly I was pressed up against the wall with his mouth on mine while he did sinful, unlawful things with it. His right hand provocatively wandered its way down the length of my body, coming to a stop over my left thigh before slipping itself underneath my leg and lifting it level with his hips while he pressed further into me.

I may have moaned into his mouth, I can't be positive.

While he pressed closer, I sank my hands in his hair, giving it a firm tug then dragging my nails across his scalp languidly. His kiss became more aggressive, rougher, and his lust rose, so he must've liked that. His other hand suddenly found itself beneath my right thigh and lifted it, helping me wrap my legs around his waist as he pushed us harder against the wall. I stroked my tongue along one of his fangs, causing a delicious growl to erupt from his chest and reverberate into even more delicious places as my lust kicked up.

Eric then slid one of his hands to my butt and squeezed while the other went to my waist, causing me to arch myself further into him and making him moan. I added to the tantalizing closeness of our pressed bodies by tightening my legs, pulling him impossibly closer.

Eric tore his lips away and muttered, " _Fuck,_ Sookie," before returning his lips to mine and caressing them gently, unhurriedly, slowing the kiss and our tempo, but making it all that more enticing. I found myself focused on the feel of his lips, the softness, the way he could move them as gentle as a feather across my own, and then make them firmer as he stroked his tongue deeper into my mouth. When those very lips became too much of a temptation for me, I bit down, lightly puncturing his lower lip with my fangs before flicking my tongue over it to soothe the hurt and swallow the blood.

He stilled for just a second in surprise, pulling his head back slightly as he felt his blood take hold. I didn't let him go far. I flattened my hands against the back of his head and brought his forehead to rest against mine while the tie shimmered and stretched. We searched each other's eyes while it grew, sharing the same breath intimately for a fleeting moment, until I leaned closer and spoke in a whisper against his lips, "Mine."

He growled again and slid his tongue back into my mouth while his blood hummed in agreement with my claim, causing me to smile during the kiss when I had the chance. We moved our lips tenderly against the other's, caressing with our tongues, as I trailed my hands back down to his neck and ran a teasing finger over his jugular while Eric took the opportunity to even the tie by puncturing my tongue. He moaned from the taste and cleaned the blood from my mouth in the most sensual way I had yet to experience. Our tie expanded again, evening out, increasing the amount we could feel of each other's levels of rising lust. My lips briefly broke away from his as I whimpered and arched myself into him again, leaving his mouth to desperately ghost its way along my neck and collarbone, licking and sucking, before he quickly recaptured them as he purred. The new vibrations sent a tasty shiver through my bones and down my spine and I reacted by grinding down against him, making him hiss, and rolling my body in tune with his. His hands moved to my hips to brace them, helping me move while he pressed ever closer and used his own hips in a new and even more erotic way, bumping up against my pleasure zone as he taunted me into a sexual frenzy.

We both took turns sighing into the kiss and gasping as we hit new waves of pleasure. My hand traced the outline of his chest and ab muscles until it slowly came to rest further down, stopping at his waist where I then smoothly slid my hand beneath his shirt, scratching lightly across his abs, teasing his skin with a new sensation, which just made him purr and sigh again. I was ready to drop my hand to his belt when I felt Jessica's and Godric's presences in my blood start to move towards us at very slow speeds. I caressed his lips again, slowly bringing my hand back out from under his shirt and trying not to laugh when I felt his disappointment. Eric didn't seem to be deterred any though and began to lower his own hand to my jeans, but stopped with a frustrated sigh when he felt my shielded pull on the tie and warning. He released my mouth slowly, looked from my lips to my eyes and back again before he felt them moving closer in his own blood and tucked his forehead into the crook of my neck with a groan.

Frustration erupted in the tie and he growled, "Eventually, I _will_ be alone with you, min älskare [ _my lover_ ]."

I think he meant it somewhat as a threat, but I took it as a promise, chuckled, and pushed him hope, which had his lips twitching against my skin, before I very slowly lowered one leg, and then the other. He moved back just as slowly, grasping my waist as he gently set me on my feet. He looked at my mouth once more and leaned in to kiss me tenderly one last time before pulling back, pushing my hair behind my ear, and stroking his thumb over my lips. His thumb was still stroking when he whispered, "And yes. I do trust you." I caught his thumb between my teeth, which had his eyes widening slightly, before I closed my lips over it, kissing it oh so softly as I pushed him gratitude and my own trust. I released it agonizingly slowly, pulling my lips from his skin just as the door opened and Jessica walked in with Godric behind her.

"Sookie?" Jess asked. I smiled wickedly at Eric and vamped over to her, retracting my fangs before I came to a stop.

"Jess?" I asked in the same tone.

She leaned around me to look at Eric with furrowed brows before looking back to me and whispered, "What's wrong with Eric?"

I glanced over my shoulder and felt my mirth erupt in my veins, though I fought bravely against laughing, when I saw that Eric was still standing there facing the wall, staring at his thumb. I glimpsed at his thoughts, quickly pulling back out when I saw he was fantasizing about my "talented little mouth." I turned back to Jessica and shrugged. Then I leaned closer conspiratorially and whispered, "Easily driven to distraction."

Godric chuckled, having heard me and Jess, and came to a stop next to Jessica. He looked at me, then Eric, and back to me and gave me a smile full of mischief while pure amusement and glee ran through his veins. "Eric?" he called.

Nothing. He was still staring as his thumb.

Godric's amusement and glee tripled and he tugged on their bond while he again called out, "Eric?"

Eric whipped around to look at Godric, with his fangs still out and his thumb still in the air. The amusement Godric felt skyrocketed and we all had to work like the dickens to keep our faces schooled and laughter stifled before Godric asked with a deadly serious voice, that in no way matched his emotions, "Do you find yourself this _distracted_ often, child?"

I think Jess couldn't help it any longer when she let out a snicker, though she kept most of her monumental need to laugh buried.

Eric's eyes travelled between the three of us suspiciously, finally deciding to land on me and glare while he retracted his fangs and brought his hand down to his side before stating, "Of course not, master."

Godric couldn't take it anymore and he burst out laughing, which started an unfortunate chain reaction with Jessica and me. Eric's eyes narrowed dangerously and he started to literally push blame at me through the tie.

"Eric," Godric gasped between laughs and waved his hands in front of him, "Don't blame Sookie, it was my fault. And yours," he laughed again before he added, literally laughing out the words as a blood tear fell down cheek, "and your _thumb's_."

The blame literally doubled and he gave our tie two sharp tugs, the signal to read his mind.

 _This is all your fault, Miss Stackhouse. You_ _ **bit**_ _my thumb._

Denial ran violently through me, making his lips twitch, and I pushed my influence towards him, pulled with my telepathy, and sent, _I was not the one fantasizing about all the things you could do to me with your mouth, Mr. Northman._

His lips twitched again and his mirth and his lust jumped before he sent back, as he trailed his eyes down my body, _Now you're just giving me ideas._

I blushed in the blood and triumph rolled across it from Eric. Damn it! I blinked first. Well, blushed first. Revenge swelled from my side and Eric _tsked_ me.

 _Never going to happen, Miss Stackhouse._

I looked at him pointedly with my eyebrows raised and replied, _Really, Mr. Northman? Because lately I feel like I_ _ **always**_ _walk away from our "exchanges" as the predator._

Every predatory encounter quickly flashed through his mind and, having known I just saw all that, Eric's face fell while defeat rang out from his side. Triumph swelled on my side and I shot my arms up in victory before I remembered we had been speaking mentally. Godric burst out in laughter again and Eric snickered at me. I slowly turned as I dropped my arms and saw Godric was laughing at _me_ and Jessica was staring at me with astonishment.

"Sookie, did you just have a whole conversation with Eric _through your blood?_ " she asked. Amusement shot around the room at her wrong assumption, but since I couldn't explain, I simply nodded, with my lips pressed together so I didn't say anything stupid, thereby doubling their amusement. "Can you teach me to do that?"

I shook my head no immediately and said, "It only works with Eric because, unfortunately, I know exactly how Eric's _twisted_ mind works."

Godric's glee shot through the roof again, after all _I did know how Eric's mind worked_ , and both Godric and I felt Eric's blood literally cry out a curse. I simply sent him victory all over again with a smug smile on my face.

 _I'll get Vampire Sookie to submit at some point,_ he thought with a way too casual shoulder shrug, which led me to believe he doubted that statement and was shielding it.

I sent him an emotional eye-roll, doubt he could, and self-confidence as I took a step closer to him and pushed, _Haven't you been paying attention? Vampire Sookie submits to no one besides her maker. That's how I passed the Magister's challenge- I didn't even lower my eyes._

He paused and cocked his head, sending a push that asked, _Really_? To which I sent a push answering in the affirmative. Eric quickly replayed everything that happened with the Magister and understanding flooded through him. I could literally feel how impressed he was that a month old baby vamp didn't back down from one of America's most powerful vampires, even before my emotions tightened and disappeared in the bond. Eric was also realizing that, in all the time leading up to the disappearance of my emotions, the only thing close to fear I had was alarm and concern for Jessica. She was still a newborn struggling with emotional control and bloodlust, who was only turned into a vampire upon the Magister's orders, so I was worried it would trigger a violent reaction from her and she'd already had a nasty couple of nights. Eric searched my face for a second before then flipping through every predatory moment he'd ever seen from me, looking for any evidence of submissiveness and realized I was right, Vampire Sookie just refused to submit.

Eric had let go of all his emotional filters as he searched, except for the main one Godric had revealed to me last night, and I could feel that he actually _did_ doubt his capability to dominate me. I dug in deeper, going a layer further into his blood and had to filter my shock out of the tie when I realized he honestly didn't _want_ to dominate me. He put that challenge out there because he figured it would fire me up and my fire was the thing he most enjoyed about me, but he never wanted me to submit to him. Nearly everyone else he had met in the last few hundred years had. In fact, if Godric was right and Eric loved me, then I would say my refusal to submit was probably the thing Eric _loved_ _most about me_ , so he would _never_ want me to submit to him. He found it fascinating that he never saw me submit to anyone even when I was human (with the exception of Bill Compton forcing compliance of course) and if I felt genuine fear of Eric, he felt I never showed it. If Eric hadn't figured it out before, he was now realizing that I never submitted to _anyone_ with the exception of Godric. I could feel the pleasure and excitement that realization caused him.

The fact that he had never wanted to dominate me told me something I hadn't realized before, Eric was hoping my nature involved more than just a lack of being submissive to him… _Eric wanted me to be his equal._ The predator in him kept challenging me because it was transfixed by the fact I wouldn't back down. In some weird-ass vampire way, it was almost like his predator was courting my predator, hoping to prove it'd found its equal and counterpart, its mate in a way. If I ever submitted to the vampire in Eric, I'd probably lose him. He also got an incredible thrill every time I proved he couldn't dominate me and was even more thrilled when I kept forcing us back on an even playing field anytime it did look like his predator would one-up mine, but the predator in him _liked_ _that_ even more than the man because it was searching for that sort of individual, someone capable of forcing him to treat her like an equal, and he honestly hoped it was me. Eric apparently loved me, according to Godric, so he was hoping I would never submit; that I would keep slapping his challenges down and press for that equality.

He wanted to keep me.

Now, I had just told him my predator would only ever submit to Godric, something we both had in common, which surprised Eric because he hadn't been focusing on things like where my eyes looked when the Magister was speaking. If Eric's nature was like mine in that respect, and I actually believed it was, then Eric would never let another vampire ever dominate him either, no matter their age or power, and the only vampire that Eric would truly submit to was Godric. That would make me his equal, at least in that respect, wouldn't it? And with the evidence that he just reviewed, that I never would let anyone dominate me, would the predator in him accept me as its equal?

I knew without a doubt that Eric and I would never stand a chance if he didn't treat me as an equal. His predator wouldn't stand for a submissive mate and mine wouldn't stand for a dominant one (probably part of the reason any S and M talk freaked me the fuck out). I needed to be challenged, to be tested, in order to both improve and assert myself- which was exactly what Eric had been doing the last two nights and would continue to do as long as his predator courted mine. If I was with someone who wanted to dominate me, they would expect me to be submissive and, like I said, Vampire Sookie submitted to _nobody_ besides her maker. We were actually oddly suited for each other in that respect.

Not that I was even looking for a "mate" for the predator in me, it was just something to think about since I had just now realized why Eric kept challenging me, yet honestly never actually wanting to dominate me and hoping I'd never submit.

"Godric?" Eric asked after reviewing all of his memories of my behavior. Godric, who had been wiping his face clean with a rag, brought his eyes to Eric's face and quirked a brow. "Did you realize you are the only vampire Sookie actually submits to?"

Godric gave Eric a shit-eating grin that said he absolutely did and responded, "Yes, Eric. How did you _not_ realize that?" He took a step closer, still smiling, and asked, "Have you been trying to establish _dominance_ over _Sookie_ , Eric?"

Something completely unprecedented happened when Godric asked this, Eric _blushed_ in the bond. Both Godric and I burst out in long, hard laughs while Eric sent us violent pushes that said to go stake ourselves. We flooded him with mirth, the amount doubling when we realized both Pam and Nora had caught his emotional blush and were so shocked that their emotions had literally dissolved into static.

Poor Jessica looked so confused. I took mercy on her and explained why we were laughing and she snickered. Because of our extremely strong, new blood tie, Jessica could slightly feel everyone in the bloodline, but only enough to be aware of their presences in her blood, the thrum of their life-force, and their locations when they were close by. She couldn't feel their emotions or them hers. It made me hope she would come to like Pam quickly and they would establish a maker-child bond, then she would be included when it came to the emotional exchanging of the bloodline, otherwise she would have to share blood with everyone in order to understand some of the things that were happening around her.

I hadn't realized I'd been pushing my need for her to be blood kin towards her until she wrapped one arm around my waist in a sideways hug, laid her head on my shoulder, and flooded me with gratitude and a craving to be exactly that.

I stroked our tie and she purred, for only the third time since we'd first shared blood. We both smiled at each other before turning back to watch Godric give Eric shit for trying to assert dominance on a predator who literally felt no fear.

"Eric," Godric chuckled, "how would you even attempt to assert dominance on someone _who doesn't feel anything_ when her predator takes over? Didn't you realize that was exactly why the Magister commented she acted like an ancient? She comes across even deadlier than most ancients, because ancients still feel in that mode. The very old ones do not feel much, but even we have to work to suppress emotions. Sookie doesn't, so she has no reason to submit since she isn't afraid. It's as simple as that."

"I attempted to bring her emotions _out_ in that mode, Godric," Eric said, irritated and seriously annoyed.

Godric chuckled again and asked, "And what were the results?"

"The only thing I got out of her was lust. I get it, Sookie will never submit, I get it," he said adopting a voice that would make you think he was bored to tears when, in reality, he was brimming with fascination and so much excitement that it was trickling into all of his connections with us. "Why is she submissive to you then?" he pointed out. I kept myself from grinning, with effort. Eric should've already understood all this, he really must've been extremely distracted by my presence if he wasn't thinking everything through like he normally did.

"Because I am her maker, Eric," Godric explained slowly, like he was talking to a toddler. Jessica snickered again. "With the maker's command, the predator in her realizes I have ultimate authority over her. She also realizes I am her creator and her leader. I am her Alpha. She also submits to me, when not in predator mode, for the same reasons you do. Love and?"

"Respect. I apologize, master. I guess I _have_ been too _distracted_ lately," Eric said, glaring at me. Godric and Jessica burst into laughter all over again. I just pulled a card from Eric's deck and smirked.

Once Godric got control of himself, he smiled and gave Eric a quick, disbelieving shake of his head before shifting gears, ready to discuss more serious matters. He moved closer to Eric and they started to review everything that happened with the Magister and our upcoming mission in Mississippi. Jessica gave our tie a tentative tug while they debated plays in their half-time huddle and I looked down at her in question.

"Sookie? I'm sorry I tried to argue with you. Godric explained why you sent me away. I just didn't understand your order," she began.

I turned to face her and pushed a tendril of hair behind her ear as I said, "I didn't have time to explain it all to you, Jess. The Magister was about to arrive. I know what he put you through, that he kidnapped you and caused your death just to punish Bill and I also know how hard it is when dealin' with the people responsible for killin' you, but you gotta trust me. If anyone from our bloodline gives you an order, it's not without very good reason. I promised you protection and I'll keep that promise. You may not always understand what I'm tryin' to protect you from, but you need to trust that I am doing it for your protection."

She nodded solemnly and confessed, "I'm not used to that, Sookie. I'm not used to someone looking out for me. My father was harsh, not protective, and Momma didn't stand up for me when he'd come down on me. Bill pretty much left me to my own devices and made it clear he didn't want anything to do with me when he first turned me. Nobody's ever offered me protection before and the only experience I have with orders and commands had nothing to do with keeping me safe, but I promise to try."

I nodded and pushed her understanding before tugging her into an embrace and whispered, "Well, now you have me and you have my bloodline. There are four very cool vampires who are lookin' out for you. As the youngest, and I mean age-wise, you'll have to deal with orders and commands, but we'll never issue them just for the sake of it. All of us want you to survive and grow to be a strong vampire, Jess. We wanna equip you with everythin' you need to make it in the vampire world."

She squeezed me tighter than a child would a teddy bear and flooded me with gratitude and affection. When I pulled back, a blood tear was slipping down her cheek. I scooped it up and popped it into my mouth and she gave me a radiant smile as the blood took hold.

We both turned back to look at Godric and Eric only to realize they were silently watching us. Jess looked up at me and pushed me her confusion while I sent them a push that said _what?!_ Godric just smiled and sent me affection and Eric waggled his eyebrows at me and wrapped me up in friskiness.

I couldn't help it, I smacked the back of his head again.

When he ducked, Jessica broke out in laughter and said, "That's so freaking cool."

Eric rubbed the back of his head gently while quietly muttering, "Your claws are sharp, min lilla lejoninna." [ _My little lioness_ ]

We stared at him in confusion and Godric looked at him with a cocked eyebrow while he just as softly repeated, "Lejoninna, Eric?" [ _Lioness_ ]

He glanced back at Godric as he dropped his hand and stuffed it in his jacket pocket while he gave him a sheepish grin and asked, "Isn't she?"

Godric returned his gaze to me and eyed me contemplatively before smiling very, very slowly and murmuring,"Ja det är hon. Vår lilla lejoninna," while his blood hummed in agreement. [ _Yes, she is. Our little lioness_.]

Both Jessica's and my blood cried out with injustice and a sense of unfairness when they switched to Swedish and they just smirked at us in response, but before I could ask what "lilla lejoninna" meant, or "min älskare" for that matter, Pam pushed open the door to the club with her hip and walked in backwards while holding a mountain of equipment stored in big, shiny silver cases.

Jess and I both vamped over to her and I grabbed the case hiding her head from view while Jess held the door open. Pam shot me a smile and gratitude and we made our way over to a table in the center of the club to set things down. Just as Jess was shutting the door, a foot shot out and stopped her from closing it. She pulled it back open and an attractive, tough-looking man with wavy brown hair and pretty hazel eyes walked in pulling another, even larger case on wheels alongside him.

"Thanks," he said gruffly and Jessica gave him a nod while blushing in the tie. He was nearly as tall as Eric, had smooth, olive skin, well-defined arm and chest muscles that made it clear he worked outside and was used to heavy-lifting, and was dressed in the clothing of a typical Southern gentleman; wearing a red button-down flannel shirt, a brown leather jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of work boots. I flooded Jess with mirth for her reaction and doubled it when she blushed again.

We all gathered around the table while they started setting up the equipment. The newcomer gave us each wary nods and accepted them in exchange. When he nodded at me, his gaze lingered on me for a second with surprise. I stunned both him and Pam (not really surprising Jess, Eric, and Godric) when I held my hand out to him and said, "Sookie, Sookie Stackhouse."

I could smell he was a werewolf, which is why they were surprised I was willing to shake his hand, but most of my bloodline had figured out I didn't judge people by what they were. I judged them by _who_ they were, and I was still in the process of discovering who this man was.

He paused for a second before reaching out his own hand to give mine a firm shake with a tentative smile and said, with a Mississippi accent, "Alcide, Alcide Herveaux, ma'am."

"Pleasure to meet you, Alcide," I said with a bright smile.

Still somewhat stunned, he nodded and dropped my hand slowly while his smile gradually brightened and became genuine. Eric's tie flared with possessiveness and I sent him exasperation while Pam and Godric swamped him in mirth. He just ignored them and not so subtly tucked me closer as he dropped an arm on my shoulders and wrapped it around my neck, like he'd done earlier tonight, and stroked my throat. Pam rolled her eyes and I pushed him my own eye-roll through the tie but snuggled into him anyways, looping an arm around his waist (I was always up for a cuddle). Soothed now by having me pressed against him, Eric nodded and said, "Herveaux."

He then quickly introduced everyone and Jessica delighted me and Godric when she followed my lead and shook his hand in greeting.

 _Vamps shaking the hands of wolves. I've entered the twilight zone._

My mirth lit up like a sparkler in my blood when I heard his thoughts, carefully shielded from Jess and Pam. Godric flooded me with curiosity so I replayed Alcide's thoughts for him while we watched the rest of the equipment be set up and he joined me in amusement.

When they were done, Jessica caught Pam's eye and waved at everything on the table while asking, "What's this all for, Pam?"

Pam shot a questioning glance at the three of us. Godric and Eric looked at each other for a moment, came to a decision and pushed consent to her, leaving how much Pam chose to explain up to her discretion. Thrilled they chose to trust Jess, I rewarded them by stroking our connections, which earned them both a funny look from Alcide when they purred.

"I'll tell you all about it, firefly, if you help me clean up the club?" she asked. Jess gave her a shrug and they both walked over to the bar to clean things up while Pam filled her in on our quest to locate Bill.

"Pam?" Eric called before she could say anything important. "Magistern har tilldelat Sookie och Godric uppgiften att hitta Compton." [ _The Magister has tasked Sookie and Godric with finding Compton_.]

Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline and she pushed understanding to each of us before she turned back to Jess and began explaining a revised version of our plan to search for her maker. I briefly read Pam's mind and found myself agreeing with the story she would be telling her. Pam decided to let Jess in on the fact the Magister was looking for Bill because he was involved in providing his blood to sell and explain that Godric and I were being sent to Mississippi to find Bill by following a lead we got through the jackets on the bodies of the Weres they found. Jessica would quickly come to the conclusion that it was unlikely she would ever be living with Bill again, but I thought she'd be okay with that fact.

Once Pam finished recounting this, she'd explain that I suggested we record our search so we'd have evidence someone else was providing blood to wolves and that whoever it was had probably also kidnapped her maker. Pam would be omitting everything about the program and Eric's personal vendetta, but trusting her with the crux of the matter all the same, that we had to find Bill.

Pam hadn't known anything about Eric's family until tonight. After she heard me talk about Eric hunting wolves for centuries and suggest he present the evidence we gather to the Authority, she realized there was more to the story. I read from her mind that she approached Eric about it after Godric and I left for Bon Temps. Now she was all caught up and very aware how personal this was for her maker.

"Pam told me you were calling in my marker, Northman, and asked me to help her get some of this equipment, nothing else. I used my pack master's connection to the military to set her up with a contact, but I'm still in the dark," he said, looking directly as Eric as he spoke.

His eyes shifted to me when I warned, "You probably won't like what we're 'bout to tell you, Alcide, but we found evidence confirming it."

Godric nodded and Eric added, "The Magister gave Sookie and Godric the task of hunting down a V distributer named Bill Compton. He's gone missing and his progeny tracked a maker's call back to the site of a car accident. At the site, she discovered the bodies of a couple wolves who wore jackets with patches belonging to the 'Fuck You Crew.' Sookie and Godric need to go to Mississippi to look for that crew, find Compton, and bring him back. Sookie's talking about the fact the wolves were covered in the scent of vampire blood. They did V."

As he spoke, Alcide began transitioning from curiosity, to disbelief, and just as Eric finished, he finally settled on rage. The air around us grew tenser and thicker and Alcide seemed to be almost imperceptibly vibrating with his anger. He was trying to control himself, but was struggling and when he couldn't contain himself anymore, he let loose a vicious growl. His canines started to elongate and his eyes glowed the most enthralling golden color before he managed to still the shift and force himself not to spiral any further.

The idea of Werewolves on vampire blood had enraged him to the point that he was on the verge of a full shift. When he started to react, Eric and Godric had instantly tensed, stilling in the way only the undead can. They were on high alert with me being so close to Alcide and were ready to act if he lost any more control and attacked. Conversely, I completely relaxed and loosened all my muscles, becoming as flexible as running water. As the predator in me took a step forward, ready to protect my kin, my emotions had drained away and my body limbered up. I purred as I watched Alcide and lazily stretched my neck before I tenderly stroked Eric's arm, softly petting him like he was my favorite kitty cat.

Alcide's eyes focused on me, taking in the way I moved and my leisurely stretches, and, oddly, started to calm down. It was like my stance and behavior had seeped into him, settled him, and gave him a chance to reign in his rage as he watched me in fascination. When his eyes returned to their normal color, he shook his head as if to clear it, studied me again, gave me a sheepish apology, and trained his gaze back on Eric to say, "Okay, I get it. There's a blood pack in Jackson and Godric and Sookie need to find it. What's the plan? What do you want me to do?"


	24. Chapter 24: Affections of a Viking Vamp

_**A/N:**_

 _Did my last chapter get a thumbs-up?_

 _[_ _ **1**_ _] We're finally moving forward in the Season 3 plot, so get ready for some drama. And humor. I like to mix 'em up. The plot is still the plot, so the only way to "revamp" the drama for you is to add some fun Sookie-sized twists. I hope I've made it entertaining enough for y'all._

 _[_ _ **2**_ _] Next chapter we move to Jackson with Sookie, Godric, and Alcide. Things are gonna work a little bit differently from the show since Sookie is now a vampire. She can't go to the bar with Alcide like she did in the show because of it, so things don't happen the same way. The biggest difference, though, is that she's not trying to rescue Bill. She's hunting him. That shortens it all since she's not pining away and doesn't have to deal with a break-up and a dramatic reunion with Bill where he just tries to get her to leave. Yeah, so don't expect Jackson to take near as much time as it did in the show. It'll still be good though. I think._

 _[_ _ **3**_ _] Okay! Final note. We're switching back to Eric just to check in on him in this chapter and see what he thinks about all of Sookie's emotional... emotions... It's a short and sweet clip and then we return to Sookie's view next chap._

 _Enjoy!_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own True Blood or SVM. HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris own everything. I'm just a TB fanatic with a laptop. Fanfic keeps me sane. Mostly._

* * *

Eric and Godric relaxed and Godric weaved affection across our bond in thanks for calming Alcide down, even if I hadn't been trying to. I embraced the emotion and closed my eyes to recall the race Godric and I ran earlier. I pictured the way the woods looked with the moonlight filtering through the branches overhead as we darted through the trees and the feel of the wind on my face while exhilaration hummed and buzzed through my veins, completely absorbing myself in the memory. When I opened my eyes again, Alcide was staring at me once more while Eric and Godric were reveling in the emotions I had unconsciously pushed into my ties with small, appreciative smiles on their faces.

"We need you to work with them as they search for the pack and guard them during the day. Are you familiar with the crew? Do you know what bar they frequent? Where they spend their time?"

He sighed and ran a hand across his face before he replied, "Yeah, I'm familiar with them. They're a rough and violent bunch, all about drinking and sex, constantly causing problems in Jackson for the rest of us wolves. They're a cancer to our kind. They hang out at a local Were bar, Lou Pines."

"Can you get in?" Godric asked.

"Yeah, yeah. My friend works the door. Why? And what's all this for?" he asked as he narrowed his gaze at our stash of spy gear.

Godric looked down at me with a smile and Eric stroked my throat again while pushing me encouragement, they both wanted me to explain the plan I came up with.

"Compton has no connections to wolves, so he ain't their provider and it's likely the wolves were part of a plan to kidnap him. We have a theory already on who is providing the V, but we need evidence to present to the Magister. The first night we plan to spend in Jackson, Godric and I wanna send you into Lou Pines with a hidden camera. You don't need to confront anyone in the crew or approach 'em, just film as many faces as you can for us and record as much of their behavior as you can get away with. Godric and I will be close by, watchin' everything while you do," I said.

His mind suddenly turned wary and he looked at me with disbelief, "That's against pack laws. I can't help you gather evidence on other wolves so you can turn them into a vampire authority. _I_ _won't_."

Godric immediately shook his head, Eric let out a frustrated sigh, and I just smiled, which threw him off the most, and explained, "The Magister doesn't give a shit about what the wolves do, Alcide. That's not why we wanna send you in. This is only a piece of the evidence we'll be gatherin' in Jackson and it's not gonna be used to turn in any wolves. We're gonna turn in their blood master."

I let that sink in for a second before I added, "We need to gather evidence on who the blood is being given to. We consider our blood sacred and the sanctity of the blood is one of our most serious laws. The vampire providin' V to wolves has been doing it for centuries and using that blood to control his own pack, and he ain't sending them out to guard children and sell girlscout cookies." Eric smirked and Godric's mirth ignited while Pam snickered from behind the bar as she washed glasses, handing them to a curious Jess to dry. "We wanna show those in charge of maintaining our laws exactly what type of people this vampire is gifting the blood to. We wanna show them exactly how _worthy"_ I said with disdain "these wolves are and what they choose to do with the blood they're given."

He stared at me a second, digesting it all, before he asked, "And when you turn that evidence in, what happens to the V-addicted wolves?"

I shrugged and Godric simply stated, "They lose their source. If you want them to be punished for drinking the blood and for how they behave when they're on it, then you'll have to turn them into your own authorities. We'll even give you a copy of the evidence you'll need to do it. Our authorities won't give the wolves a second glance. Vampires do not interfere in the dispersing of justice among other supernatural races."

Alcide fell silent as he thought about what we wanted him to do, not giving us a hint as to which way he was leaning and what his issue was, so I immersed myself in his mind again. He wasn't worried about whether or not vampires would have an issue with the wolves anymore, because we'd freed him from that concern. He also wasn't worried about whether or not they'd be punished, he was positive they would be, and that was the problem. The love of Alcide's life had involved herself with the leader of this blood pack. Even though she was seeing someone else, he was fretting about her, Debbie, and what would happen to her if he helped us. He didn't want her harmed and was willing to lose everything he had, his entire business, if it meant he could keep her safe.

"Alcide," I said softly. When he looked up and met my eyes, I kept my tone hushed and said, "You'll be the only wolf even aware of our search. If you choose to keep this quiet and not inform your pack master, to keep it quiet in order to protect someone, that's your decision. Nobody else will know."

Surprise rippled across my connections and Alcide studied my face intently again before he slowly nodded, coming to a decision and agreeing to help us.

 _Never met a fanger like her. Not the normal vampire, something special. Unique. Wish she was human, might've hit it off with her. Pretty thing, but trouble._

Pleasure ran through me as I heard his wonderful and sweet thoughts. Thankfully, Godric and Eric just assumed I was pleased Alcide had finally agreed. I wasn't romantically interested in Alcide, but his thoughts were touching and he was the sort of man I would've been interested in if my heart was still beating. As it was, I was perfectly content with the path my undeath had taken. I was even in love, truly in love, and not because I was being drugged into feeling it. I didn't know how Eric would react to that knowledge and I felt it was way too soon to tell him, but he did truly make me happy. He made me feel completely cherished, wanted, and treated me like I was vital to his survival, like I was his own personal supply of oxygen in a smoky room.

Just realizing how he made me feel had me stroking the tie again without even being aware I was doing it. I gave him a long, languid, and intimate caress, not one as provocative as I gave him earlier tonight but still just as tantalizing to the senses. He purred, loudly, with pleasure and our tie physically lit up and warmed as it radiated ecstasy, joy, affection, gratitude, and surprise.

It was a long caress and an even longer purr.

He looked down at me with surprise and pulled me closer as his lust suddenly exploded. Unable to sate himself at the moment, he leaned down and nuzzled my hair while mirth whizzed and raced across all of my other blood connections, making it hard not to giggle. He slowly shifted himself behind me and lowered his arm from my shoulder to my waist while he wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me impossibly closer. Godric's lips kicked up, Pam snickered, and Jessica let out that weird choking noise that I now knew meant she was trying incredibly hard to stifle her need to laugh.

Alcide stared at Eric in astonishment, wondering _when the hell Northman became so affectionate_ and _what on earth made him purr_. He was even wondering if that was a Viking thing or a vampire thing. He finally decided on the latter and muttered, "No wonder wolves hate vampires so much, you're all so similar to cats."

Amusement shot out across every tie again and Jessica finally gave in and laughed long and hard. When she caught her breath, Alcide promptly stole it by flashing her a charming and roguish smile that made her blush in the blood all over again.

"All right. Sookie, you said this was the plan for the first night, so I'm guessing you're spending the day in Jackson? How many nights are we talking here?" Alcide asked, bringing our attention back to our plans.

I sighed and explained, "We need you to put us up for the day, make sure we're safe, and then the next night, Godric and I are gonna meet Russell Edgington."

Recognition and confusion both briefly flickered across his face as he asked, "The antiquities dealer? Why meet with him?"

I hummed in amusement while Godric smiled and clarified, "He's the Vampire king of Mississippi. We suspect he's the blood master." Alcide's mouth dropped open in shock and a beat of fear briefly pulsed across his mind in reaction to what Godric then added, "He's nearly 3,000 years old."

He closed his mouth slowly and nervously asked, "What's the plan there? What can I possibly do to help you trap an ancient?"

I gave him a gentle smile and explained, "All we need you to do, Alcide, is pretend to be our dayman and collect our travel coffins the next day and get us safely to a hotel without bein' followed, okay? We'll take care of the rest, hence all this equipment. We need a little time, so it'd be best if you could fetch our coffins around eleven in the mornin'. We can't risk spendin' an additional night because Russell would send someone to snoop through our things while he distracted us and then we'd be caught with all the evidence we're gonna gather. After that, we need you to bring us back here to the club."

"How do you fit in to this, Sookie? What's a baby vamp gonna do in the presence of an ancient? How helpful would you be- isn't it just needlessly risking your life?" Alcide asked with concern, sending echoes of amusement throughout the club both because a wolf was concerned about a vampire and because every other person present knew I could hold my own, even as a newborn.

"Sookie's very talented, Alcide," Godric began. He then paused for a second to think about what he wanted to say. An image of Alcide with actual _concern_ on his face for me briefly flickered through his thoughts and the bond filled with resolution as Godric revealed, "She rose a night early, she has more gifts than most vampires who are thousands of years old."

Alcide's eyebrows rose higher than a skyscraper and he numbly repeated, "She rose early… but how? I mean, I thought that was just a vampire _myth_?"

"I did too," Pam quipped. "But earlier tonight she raced Godric back to Fangtasia. Godric was moving at the speed of a thousand year old vampire and they both _tied_. Get the idea?"

He nodded and looked at me again, dumbfounded and feeling vindicated about his earlier thoughts. He then asked, "You both trust me to watch over you during the day?"

"Not exactly," Godric breathed and pushed a request through the blood to me.

I nodded and flooded him with understanding as I pushed my influence out. I quickly tunneled through Alcide's mind like a gopher through the ground and separated Alcide's two natures, gathering up what was Alcide _the man_ and Alcide _the_ _wolf_ into two separate piles. When I finished, I searched through everything in his memories and found what I needed, his memories of tonight. I quickly built another protective block around everything Alcide had learned since he had walked in the door and installed one of my nifty liquid mirrors to keep our mission safe from prying eyes, especially since Russell was nearly 3,000 years old, and added another escape door. I pressed my influence to the mirror to activate it and finished with instructions.

In a breathy voice that reminded me of Marilyn Monroe and actually had Pam's and Eric's fangs descending, I glamoured him, "Alcide, you'll keep us safe as long as we're in Jackson. You'll protect us durin' the day, won't let anyone into your place as long as we're restin' there, and you'll show up promptly to pick us up from Russell's compound, won't you?"

He nodded and licked his lips as he murmured, "Of course, Sookie. I'll protect you. I'll never let anything happen to you, not while you're in Jackson."

Eric lowered his head to my neck as Alcide spoke, running his fangs teasingly over my jugular and relishing in the jolts of pleasure our tie radiated and the shivers running through my body.

See? He was going to sexually taunt me like this for _eternity_.

"And you won't tell anyone 'bout the mission until it's over, even then you'll never reveal anythin' you learned tonight to any other vampires besides us. If they try to make you talk or glamour you, you'll slip through the water shield and stay there until they stop," I implanted, he robotically nodded in agreement. I then fiddled flirtatiously with my braid and added, "You'll never tell anyone about my gifts or my early risin' either and you won't even remember I can glamour the two-natured, right?"

While Alcide nodded, Eric scratched his fangs against my skin, making me moan and cutting a thin red line across my neck that instantly started bleeding. The moan was a little too much for Alcide in his aroused and glamoured state and he started rumbling in pleasure and bit his lip. Eric promptly touched his tongue against my skin and flattened it as he licked up the trail of blood. He continued his fangy ministrations while I patched up Alcide's mind, removing any evidence I'd been there and pulled back out.

Godric picked up the conversation without skipping a beat, seemingly adding onto his last comment by saying, "Eric holds your business in his hands, Alcide. Anything happens to us during the day and it's his. Anything happens to his maker and his blood sister," he smiled wickedly as Alcide absorbed our connections to Eric with a start, "and, well, you probably won't live long enough to miss the business. If that's trust, then I guess, yes, we will."

I turned to look up at Eric as Godric then made plans for Alcide to pick us up during the day, gave him instructions to Bon Temps, and a temporary code that would override the fingerprint scanner to allow him access to our resting place. He met my gaze with a soft smile but his eyes had more intensity in them than I had ever seen before and sent butterflies through my stomach. My involuntary reaction only intensified the look he was giving me and he pushed me thankfulness, cloaking me from head to toe in a grateful and sensual caress that made me shiver. He gently pressed his lips to my forehead and it was then that I understood.

When he cut me, he had lapped up and swallowed my blood, causing the tie to expand, but only on his side. By drinking from me, he had given me more control over it, allowed me to feel his emotions more clearly, and increased my ability to send him emotions. My side, what he could feel from me, had not increased. The emotion he pushed was the clue I needed. He was giving me more access and control as a _thank you_ for the way I had caressed our tie. Usually, I sent him caresses because I was rewarding him for doing something that pleased me. In this case, I had done it with the same thing in mind, rewarding him for how he treated me and made me feel, but he didn't know that. To him, it seemed like I did it randomly, that I'd done it just because I wanted to.

And I had. I did it because I wanted to.

I smiled and turned myself back around while I fiddled with his hands and reached for him through the tie, running my mental touch ever so softly across it and focusing my blood on his face so it felt like I was caressing his cheek and gently stroking my fingers over his features. He purred a lot more quietly, unnoticeably to anyone not closer than I was, and squeezed me tighter to him, snuggling me closer like he was a child and I was his favorite blankie. I rested my head back against his chest and enjoyed the gentle vibrations while he leaned down and dropped another tender to kiss to my hair.

Moments like these were why I had stroked the tie to begin with.

When Godric and Alcide had finished talking about our plans for tomorrow, Alcide collected whatever equipment he needed to bring with our travel coffins into one pile before he reached out his hand to shake mine in farewell with a genuine smile on his face. He gave Eric and Godric a curt nod, gathered up the equipment and nodded towards the bar, acknowledging Jess and Pam as he walked to the door. Jess quickly vamped over to it and opened it for him, blushing again when he shot her a thankful smile.

As soon as the door closed, Jess and Pam were standing in front of me and shooting my ties full of disbelief, shock, and astonishment. I reluctantly stopped caressing Eric, feeling that reluctance made his lips twitch and caused me to feel a deliciously different vibration when his chest rumbled with laughter, and cocked an eyebrow at them in question.

"You can glamour the two-natured," Pam murmured and Jess nodded along vigorously. Eric pushed me his own curiosity as well and Godric soaked our bond with pride and encouragement. "How?"

"I can feel emotions," I carefully explained, letting them feel that truth in the blood. "So I use that ability," _along with my telepathy_ , I mentally tacked on, "to separate the two natures from each other. I filter out everythin' from the part of him that's human from the part of him that's animal and glamour the man, stayin' far away from the animal psyche," I said with a shrug.

"Amazing, Sook. That's just incredible," Jess breathed. Every blood tie I had with the people around me hummed in agreement simultaneously, making my very veins vibrate and spreading a violent shiver throughout my body. They immediately realized what just happened and burst into laughter.

"It is pretty amazing," Godric agreed, "but it needs to remain a secret, a secret of the bloodline. Sookie and I will experiment with her technique and if we can come up with a way for the rest of us to separate their natures, then we'll teach it to you. Nobody else must be privy to this. The two-natured may target her if they discover her gift. Right now, it seems Sookie somehow easily fosters friendships with those of two natures and we should encourage that ability."

They all nodded in understanding and Godric and I sent each other relief.

"Pam, why don't you turn on this equipment to show us how it works so we're ready for tomorrow? Jess, I'd like you to help her and learn to work this equipment too. I want you to watch everything with us tomorrow and help us keep an eye on Sookie, Godric, and Alcide," Eric instructed.

Jessica smiled brilliantly at Eric for including her on their task for tomorrow and thanked him. While she spoke to him, his gentle affection for her flared up. I purred when I felt it and gave him another caress.

Godric pulled up a chair next to the two of them and listened intently to Pam's instructions on how to work everything while Eric whisked me off and sat me down on a stool at the bar. He vamped to the other side of it and pulled out several donor bags, popped them all in the microwave, and set up five cups for all of us. Since he did all that with the speed of a vampire, he had a little free time as the blood warmed and spent it by quickly leaning across the bar and pulling me forward by my jacket to touch his lips to mine.

As soon as my lips parted, he gave me a kiss that blew me away with its intensity and, yet, he kept it gentle, caressing my mouth tenderly and slipping his fingers up from the jacket to my neck to once again stroke my throat with his thumb. After a minute of kissing me lazily, he tucked my lip into his mouth to suck on it and gently pull his teeth across it before letting it go and leaning even further across the bar to trail an open-mouth kiss down to my neck to taste my skin. I reached my hands into his hair and dragged my nails over his scalp, remembering quite clearly how he liked it earlier, and had to bite my lip to keep from moaning when he got revenge and began dragging his teeth across my neck, gently nipping before biting down a little harder as the microwave went off. He pulled back reluctantly, only made it two inches from my face before he reconsidered, and stole my breath again to give me a much firmer, fiercer kiss. I brought our pace back down when I broke the kiss for a second and just looked at him, brushed the hair from his forehead, and trailed my fingers down his cheek before bringing my lips back to his for a tender, much softer caress. I would seriously miss kissing him for the next two days.

Maybe I would pop in just to kiss him and pop back out.

It was definitely food for thought.

When we broke apart again, he gave my braid another tug with a soft smile and turned back to the microwave to collect the blood and filled the cups at vamp speed. He passed them to me, lingering to graze my fingers with his own as he handed me each glass, and I passed them out to the rest of our little family. I drank my own quickly with Eric at the bar, feeling thirsty after everything that happened tonight and needing a little more after I had pushed myself so hard to race Godric earlier. Eric promptly cleaned my lips for me and filled up another cup. He handed it to me and we walked back over to the table where he pulled out a chair, sat down, and yanked me into his lap before I could grab my own. I slid an arm over his shoulder and traced his jugular with my nails while I focused on what Pam was telling Godric, paying close attention to how to work the cloner and jammer she'd collected. After we learned how to work everything, Godric and I got ready to head back to Bon Temps and we all helped Pam and Eric finish cleaning up the club. We left through the employee door and Pam locked everything up behind us all.

Outside, Eric pulled me in for a kiss that left me needlessly panting before resting his hands on my hips and murmuring, "Be safe. Don't take any unnecessary risks, min lilla lejoninna. I'll see you in three nights." [my little lioness]

I nodded numbly and he gave me a charming smile that would've made any living heart skip a beat. Godric and I then sped off into the night, taking a much easier pace home and arrived back at the farmhouse with just under a half hour to spare until dawn. We gathered our things, pulled our travel coffins into the entryway so Alcide wouldn't have to go into our new day-rest area to retrieve us, and settled in. Later, whenever I woke up during the day, I'd pop out of the coffin and spend the remaining daylight doing whatever I wanted and pop back in before the sun actually set.

* * *

 **EPOV**

When I woke up the next night, I lazed about for a while, soaking in the scent around me. Sookie had popped in again. Not only that, but she had saturated the room in her scent, touching everything she could. It was also sweeter; she had adjusted her scent to release something closer to what she naturally smelled like, but not enough to drive me into bloodlust. I'd asked her the night before to at least leave her scent when she popped in and now she had left it everywhere.

What a tease.

But she was _my_ tease.

I was now pretty damn confident she loved me. The random, lengthy, and sensual caress last night had just been the final nail on the coffin for me, firmly burying my doubts. Two nights ago, I was standing outside listening on the phone to the Magister bitch about Sophie-Anne and her ridiculous sun room when I felt Sookie and Godric's bond fill with the most intense, beautiful, warm, and magical emotion I'd ever come across before. It had pulsed in the bond like a living heartbeat and trickled down into her ties, racing right towards me through our connection. When it hit me, it felt as if I had been wrapped up in millions of soft kisses and feather light caresses all along the length of my body and as if light itself was flowing through my veins. I literally felt my skin warm, like I was sitting in front of a cozy fire cuddled up with a fur blanket. It was deliciously tender and the most exquisite torment, to feel that love. It promptly blew away my emotional state and any train of thought I'd had. My bond to Pam was still closed, so she hadn't felt it, and my tie to Nora was once again echoing shock.

And me?

I wasn't sure what to feel. For the second time that night, I felt nothing and everything all at once, resulting in a weird state of static. I hadn't even realized I'd frozen in place with the Magister still going off in my ear until Sookie woke me back up. She'd somehow used our tie to reach out to me and soothe my tattered nerves while _not_ using our tie. The majority of it was silent with a single active strand that had been shielded, but it wasn't the typical blood shield.

I still hadn't found out how she did that.

I reached into the tie and firmly grabbed hold of her when she reached for me. She spread her soft, mental touch across my emotional state, tenderly reaching out to spread a calming blanket across my frenzied emotions and prod me back into focusing before she sent me an apology that felt like she was pulling me into a sweet and lingering embrace. When she pulled back, I instinctively tightened my grip, eager for more, and she startled internally, making my lips twitch. Was she really surprised I wanted more when she used her blood and connection with me like _that_?'

Really?

I wasn't about to let her go. If anything, I wanted to pull her closer, to tuck her into me and make her a part of me for eternity, but I wouldn't be able to do either without a bond. I craved everything about her and her emotional touches were quickly becoming more necessary to me than water was to fish. After feeling the astounding emotion that was her love and being soothed afterwards by her tender mental touch, I never wanted to let her go. I wasn't positive, but I was pretty sure that emotion had been directed towards me, that she had felt love _for me_ and I wanted _more_. After a minute of gently and subtly searching her blood though, I couldn't find it. Either she hadn't felt that love for very long or she was shielding it, hiding it somehow. After a thousand years, I was pretty good at searching the blood for answers, about uncovering blood shields and ripping them away. Whatever Sookie was doing, she wasn't using a blood shield.

Either that or she'd only briefly experienced a flicker of love.

That notion had me holding back. I was shielding my own emotion, my love for her, in my blood. Now that we were so connected, I hadn't wanted to scare her off. I'd been in love with Sookie since the second time we met and my love for her had only grown since then. After a month of thinking she was dead? It was even stronger. I'd felt lost without that little telepath running around kicking up trouble. I was worried though that feeling my love for her would have her running for the hills. I'd never actually had a chance to be with her and she'd never been mine. How do you explain to someone that you grew to love them despite that? Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever even spent a moment alone with her until she reappeared with Godric in tow.

I couldn't explain it. It just _was_.

I wanted to share that love with her, especially after briefly feeling her own love, but if it wasn't something constant, if she only felt it for a moment, I wasn't sure it'd be wise to reveal it to her. I had to stifle insecurity in that moment and my hesitancy leaked into the tie. She felt it, that hesitancy, and pushed something to me. She told me it was okay, like she was literally whispering to my blood that it was okay to let her go, to loosen my hold. Reluctantly, I did. I pushed her an incredible amount of affection and then slowly let go, lingering for as long as possible until I barely held her at all and she slipped away, collapsing the strand of the tie she was using as she pulled back.

I kept searching for that emotion for the rest of the night.

When I couldn't find it, when it didn't flicker even once since then, I started doubting I'd even felt it in the first place. Sookie quickly put that doubt to rest later when she snapped all her connections with her bloodline shut, cutting off a bunch of junkies cold turkey. We all, even Pam, immediately reached out for her, trying to pry open our ties with her again. Then she explained to us why she did it, how powerfully she was suddenly experiencing everything, and alluded to that love we felt from her earlier as an example of how intense her emotions now were. Godric wasn't ready to accept that, he wanted to feel her too much and challenged her to open it back up.

That was a mistake.

Her emotions were so strong that it actually singed our connections with her. They burned too bright, too hot, and that one protective feeling she let us experience burned so much that Pam and I had to voluntarily cut ourselves off from her. Godric held on even longer, a blood tear escaped when it became overly painful for him, but he didn't let go until he saw Sookie's reaction to that tear, until he saw how much it was hurting her to watch him struggle and suffer.

When she was explaining why she couldn't open the bond back up, she said that she _couldn't shield them all_.

So she felt love after all and she _was_ shielding it from the rest of us. I didn't know _how_ she was keeping it shielded nor did I know _why_ she was shielding at all, but if she wasn't ready to let me experience it, then I would wait until she was.

I could be a very patient vampire.

I let out a sigh and very slowly started to get up to get ready for the night. I could feel in my blood that Sookie and Godric were further away, so they were already in Jackson. I seriously hoped Sookie would be willing to exchange soon because I didn't like feeling that distance between us. I couldn't feel her nearly as strongly when she was in another state and it was uncomfortable. I wanted to tuck her in as closely as I could, I wanted to feel her as strongly as I did when she was standing next to me at all times. An exchange would help with that.

I reluctantly showered and changed, thinking about what I needed to do tonight. Sookie and Godric wouldn't be heading out until later to track the wolves, so I had some time before we needed to be at the club and flip on all the recording devices and the monitors to watch Alcide when he entered Lou Pines. I quickly went through my mental to do list, remembered a promise I'd made to my favorite tease two nights ago, and grabbed a set of keys to a sexy new car I owed a former dealer. By the time Sookie came back, her friend Lafayette would be the proud owner of a new convertible.

Lucky boy.


	25. Chapter 25: Embracing Sunlight

_**A/N:**_

 _So we're in Jackson now! We're gonna be the total tourists and check out the local Were bar, but not before Sookie and Godric spend a little quality time together. For those of you anxious for a little more S/E interaction, it's coming up next chapter._

 _Thank you all for being awesome! I love hearing from you, so please R & R. I still wanna hear about your favorite parts. I'm as curious as a cat about it._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: True Blood and SVM belong to HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris. I own nothing. I just like to rent them out like a rental car and take them for a drive. Sometimes, I even take them out parking._

* * *

 **SPOV**

Alcide had gotten us to Jackson safely and unloaded our travel coffins in the spare bedroom of his apartment. I didn't think he even noticed that one of the coffins was much lighter than the other, since I hadn't actually been in it. Instead, I had spent my waking daylight hours at Eric and Pam's cabin, snuggled up to a dead for the day Eric. With a smile full of mischief, I cranked up my scent and touched any and everything I could in his bedroom, leaving my scent for him. When it came close to the hour he normally rose, I popped myself back into my coffin and slid into downtime until the sun had set.

Alcide's apartment was not what I had expected. It was nice, cozy and new. His business obviously did well, but it was also obvious his ex had moved out and taken everything with her. The apartment was sadly very empty. She'd even taken most of the cooking utensils, not even leaving him a normal pan to cook his dinner in. I guess he was he still too depressed to buy himself replacements.

"Good day-rest?" Alcide asked while dumping his dinner on a plate and moving to the table to eat.

I nodded and sat down next to him while Godric popped a couple True Bloods in the microwave. We had left a case of it near our things the night before and Alcide had loaded it up with our coffins and placed them in the fridge when he arrived.

"That dress is not what I expected after what you wore last night," he pointed out with a grin.

I wasn't planning on coming across any vampires until tomorrow night, so I had worn a yellow sundress. It was designed more for the summer, but I was vampire. The weather didn't apply to me. The dress was sleeveless, with two thick straps that crisscrossed over my back and traced the swell of my breasts with a sweetheart design. It came down to just above my knees, so I wore a silver knife strapped to my thigh instead of its normal spot on my calf. I paired the dress with a fuzzy white cardigan, which was baby soft and made of cashmere, and matching white stilettos. Like Pam, I now mostly wore stilettos with everything. Now that I was vampire, it was incredibly easy to wear high heels. My feet never hurt and my body automatically compensated for balance, so I was as graceful in heels as I was in flats. Plus, they made very convenient weapons. I'd have them close if I ever needed a stake.

I gave him a sheepish smile and admitted, "I love sundresses. I wear 'em as often as I can, but when I'm around other vampires I get challenged less when I wear somethin' a little edgier."

He nodded slowly while he thought, _Definitely like the dresses better. She's hot no matter what but now she looks like a Southerner. Looks like the girl next door. Why she gotta be a vampire?_

I gave him a fond smile as Godric sat down next to me and handed me a B positive True Blood. Since he only warmed one, I knew he wanted me to feed from the source again tonight. I guess that's what we'd be doing until it was time to head out to the Were bar.

"Can I ask you something, Sookie?" Alcide asked after a moment of quietly eating. I nodded. He looked between me and Godric quickly before cocking an eyebrow and asking, "You and Northman?"

I couldn't keep myself from blushing in the blood when he asked. Godric immediately snickered and amusement swelled in the bond. I sent him a push that told him he'd look good in silver jewelry and he just chuckled again.

"You two together?" he pushed when I didn't instantly answer.

I blushed again and Godric flushed my veins with mischief and answered for me, "Sookie claimed him."

With that answer, I shot my blood out and slapped Godric hard on the back of the head, like I did with Eric, snickering when he ducked.

Alcide choked on his food, smacked his chest to force everything down, and started laughing. He gulped down air and repeated, incredulously, "Claimed him? Claimed _Eric Northman_?"

Godric rubbed the back of his head gently and nodded while flashing us both a shit-eating grin. He shot me full of even more mischief and confided, "Eric's blood agreed before he even had a chance to deny it."

Alcide gave Godric a puzzled look, so I clarified, "Our blood carries our emotions, partly why it's so sacred to us, Alcide. I can feel Eric's emotions through my bond with Godric since we're both his progenies, connected through blood. Eric was gonna dispute it, but before he could even open his mouth, his blood agreed with my claim and _tattled_ on him. That's what Godric means."

His eyebrows shot to the sky and he burst out in hard, body-shaking laughs. Godric quickly joined in and I had to confess, even I was amused. It was highly entertaining Eric Northman's blood felt he belonged to me at all, let alone announcing it to us when he would've definitely protested otherwise.

When Alcide settled back down, he admitted, "He surprised me last night. I've known him for a few years now and I'd never seen him act like that, act… _affectionate_ with someone. I think I left the club a little shell-shocked."

"I can probably take responsibility for that. I trained him to suppress all his emotions. It's my fault he shuts down that way," Godric said quietly, lacing the bond with remorse and guilt.

I reached for it and absorbed it, doing my best to make it disappear, as I softly argued, "Maybe not. Eric's pretty much himself. He's been a lot different in the last two days, though, Godric. More open. Maybe he's changing too. I think having you back around is good for him."

"It's not having _me_ around that's good for him, child. I think it's _you_ ," he gently protested as he pushed a piece of hair behind my ear.

I shook my head and said, "He's known me for months now, Godric, and he was never that open before."

"You were also claimed by another vampire, Sookie. He never had a chance to be open with you at all. Now he does," Godric pointed out.

I considered that seriously for a minute. Would Eric have been this open with me if I hadn't been with Bill? For some reason I doubted it. When we first started explaining my abilities to Eric, his first impulse was to try to manipulate me again, not be honest and ask me if we could strengthen our connection. He only started opening up when he realized he wouldn't get away with it, when Godric called him out on it. If I were human and available, he would've gotten involved with me anyways, yes, but he would've continued keeping me in the dark and trying to maneuver me into things. I probably would've been tricked into bonding with him at one point. Now that I was also vampire and Godric was attached to me, it was impossible for Eric to even attempt it.

"I think it's the combination of both of us then," I said. Godric gave it his own moment of consideration and finally nodded his head while his blood hummed in agreement.

Alcide lightly cleared his throat, a little thrown off by the change in subject, so I quickly changed it again by vacating the hot seat and firmly planting him in it, "And what about you, Alcide?" I lifted my hand and indicated his apartment as I asked, "Who was she? Who left this place so empty?"

Godric snickered again, completely entertained by the fact that Alcide's place was so naked and that I was purposefully moving the spotlight from myself to Alcide.

Reluctantly, Alcide filled us in on everything about Debbie Pelt. Curious, I dug into his thoughts while he spoke and realized how serious it all was. He'd driven her away in a way. Debbie wanted kids but Alcide didn't want a baby who could shift. Like me, he had a hard time adjusting with his gift growing up and he didn't want to put any of his kids through that. She didn't take that answer well and now she was dangerously flirting with the idea of joining this blood pack. For Alcide's sake, I hoped he let her go. Just by looking through his more recent memories, I could tell she was on V. He didn't realize it yet, but I did. Being vampire makes it a little bit easier to tell when someone was suffering the effects of misusing the blood. Her entire demeanor had changed and she was more vengeful. She wore skankier clothes, heavier make-up, and lashed out at him every chance she got. I truly hoped he could shake her.

As long as she was involved with werewolves on V, she would bring him nothing but pain.

"What time should we head to Lou Pines?" Alcide asked, "And what are you two going to do until we head out?"

We'd wasted about two hours just talking about Debbie and shooting the breeze since we really didn't have much else to do until it was time. With Alcide's question, we all shifted focus to more serious matters and Godric contemplatively glanced at his watch, which he really didn't need since vampires had internal clocks, and answered, "I think we should head over there around eleven, eleven thirty. Sookie is still learning how to feed, so I'm going to take her out and then we'll meet back here and set everything up. Work for you?"

Alcide shifted uncomfortably in his seat when Godric mentioned feeding. He was both appalled and intrigued about the idea of me feeding. Disliking vampires was ingrained in him, but he was so at ease with me and Godric that he had temporarily forgotten we even were vampires. When Godric brought up feeding, it all came rushing back. Yet, he couldn't help picturing me with my mouth on his throat. He felt incredibly confused with it all. Godric wasn't a mind-reader, but even he noticed Alcide's reaction and he flooded me with mirth for it.

Alcide cleared his throat again and said, "Uh, yeah. Yeah, that works. I need to run a couple errands anyways so I'll meet you back here before then."

Ten minutes later, we left the apartment. Alcide gave Godric a spare key in case we beat him back and we took off in opposite directions from each other after riding the elevator down together. Since we didn't want to attract attention to ourselves from the local vampire community, Godric had me track our meals and glamour them instead of going to a club and finding a willing donor. He hunted with me this time and we stalked a couple out for a stroll together in the nearby park. Godric had me select our prey by scent and I caught the delectable aroma of a B negative human when we walked past the park's entrance.

We tracked the scent to a good-looking man and his girlfriend who, conveniently, were searching for a dark corner anyways to have a frisky moment. Godric pushed me trust and confidence as we stepped into their paths and pulled them under our influences. He fed from the girlfriend while I fed from the man, which is why he pushed trust towards me. Godric wanted to see if I would pull back on my own while he fed.

Feeding from a male was very different from my previous experience. Guys tended to be more sexually aggressive and this one found me extremely attractive. While I drank, he enfolded me in his arms, pulling me as close as he could and wholeheartedly moaned. His hands then slid down to my thighs and he lifted me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist and pushed me up against a tree. I reacted without being aware of it, locking my legs behind him without thinking. He then started to move against me, trailing his hands to my hips to brace me. In my bloodlust state, I didn't even think twice about adding to the friction and every movement sent an overwhelming jolt of pleasure to my system. His heart began to slow just as he began to slide his hand up my leg and under my dress, purposefully moving towards my core.

When I felt his fingers hovering just over my inner thigh, I froze. All I could think about was Eric. I was starting something there. I felt love for Eric and I didn't want to screw anything up with him. On some level, I knew he would understand. Most baby vamps couldn't feed from the source without working to sate one desire while they sated the other and he'd forgive me. I wouldn't forgive myself though and I would feel guilty for each and every time something happened with my feeds.

It was one thing to climax during a feeding if Eric was the one bringing me pleasure, but this was quite another. The idea I could hurt him if anything went further made all my emotions come back in a violent eruption and I instantly pulled back, grabbed his wandering hand, and punctured my tongue to seal the wounds, using my blood to erase any evidence I had fed. I then dropped my legs back down, gently pushed my prey back a step, and glamoured away the memory of the feed altogether.

Godric had already finished, since he needed less blood at his age, and was watching me intently. When I finished my glamour, he lifted his arm and I slid myself under it. We walked out of the park together in contemplative silence, with his arm still slung over my shoulder, and headed back towards the apartment, taking our time and walking leisurely as we crossed the remaining couple blocks left of our return trip.

"He would've understood, Sookie. He wouldn't have judged you," Godric said quietly and gave me a little squeeze as concern washed over our bond.

"I know," I sighed, "but I would've judged myself."

He gave me a hard look, but eventually nodded and pushed me understanding when he realized what I meant. Godric quickly understood it wasn't that I would've judged myself from gaining pleasure through feeding, I would've judged myself from gaining that pleasure from anyone but Eric. I was not a feed and fuck type of girl; I was the monogamous type and only slept with those who my heart chose. Apparently, my heart had chosen Eric, so sex with someone besides him was just unacceptable to me. As long as we both wanted each other, he'd be my only source for sating that particular thirst.

The understanding Godric pushed me then gradually shifted into pride and he whispered, "You honor Eric with that decision, with restricting yourself this way when you are so young. You honor him by denying such a natural instinct for his sake. I won't discuss it with him, but you should know he would feel honored too. Before you came into my life, Sookie, I would've said that type of control was just not possible for one so young. I'm so proud of you, child. You truly are one of the best decisions I ever made."

I smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist, giving him a sideways hug, and drowned the bond in love and gratitude. While he purred, I said, "And you're one of mine. I'm glad you stuck around, Godric. I'm so incredibly glad you didn't meet the sun."

He tucked me closer, squeezed me tighter, and pushed love back to me. I purred for a moment before I casually added, "You do realize you can never do that again? Now that you've turned me, you will never meet the sun. You'll be stickin' around for eternity… or for at least as long as I exist."

He furrowed his brows in confusion when he felt the all-consuming confidence behind my statement and asked, "Why are you so sure? Eternity is a long time, child. In another 2,000 years I may grow tired again."

I gave him a slow, mischievous smile and explained, "I'm not like Eric, Godric. I'd absolutely find you the _second_ after you shut down the bond, even if I had to read every mind in the state to do it, and when I did, the sun itself wouldn't keep me from comin' for you."

Godric froze when the meaning of my words sunk in, bringing us to a standstill. He turned to face me and searched my eyes as he absorbed my meaning, realizing that the sun really _wouldn't_ keep me away. I'd find him, and when I did, I'd kick his ass and make sure he literally couldn't meet the sun. He could walk out on a rooftop one day dressed in the ridiculous linens the Fellowship made him wear and, just as the sun began to rise, I'd pop him into a dark, light-tight basement with silver bars and no exits. I'd keep him there too until I talked sense into him and he submitted. Godric screwed himself out of ever again having any chance of seeing his final sunrise when he made me.

Slowly, he brought his hand to my face and traced my features with his fingertips, staring at me like I was some kind of a mirage. The love he'd been pushing me suddenly grew threefold and he gently nodded while he murmured, "Min lilla lejoninna."

A blood tear trickled down my cheek at the feel of all that love and he tenderly wiped it away with his thumb before bringing it to his mouth. After he swallowed it, he gave me a soft smile, one which quickly transformed into a beautiful and rich laugh and I joined in. When the laughter faded, he wrapped his arm back around me and agreed, "You're right, I can never do it again. You'd never let me go and you'd beat my ass for attempting it." He chuckled with delight when my blood hummed in agreement. "And for that, I am thankful. That you _love_ me so much… well, in this I see God."

I smiled up at him, thankful he understood. We walked in silence for another moment before I asked, "What did you say in Swedish? You and Eric have both called me that."

He gave me another beautiful smile while stating, "My little lioness."

A blood tear dropped down Godric's cheek when my love then grew threefold.

I quickly collected it as I mumbled, "Damn Viking and his beautiful endearments."

He chuckled and flooded me with mirth and amusement as we rounded the last corner blocking our view of Alcide's apartment complex. As we walked into the building and headed to the elevator, I asked, "Teach me some Swedish while we wait? We still have about an hour." He nodded and gave me another squeeze. "I wanna learn your language too, Godric. The one you think in, it's beautiful," I added.

He gave me another blinding smile, flushed the bond with love again, sent me an affectionate caress and explained, "It honestly won't take you long to learn it, Sookie. With the memory of a vampire, you'll learn it all within a couple weeks." I nodded as he slipped out Alcide's key and unlocked the door. He then began, "The first words I will teach you of any language will always be the same. Fader, broder, son. They are what I am to you…"

An hour later, Godric and I started setting up the equipment for the night. First, we turned on the ear pieces, a clear silicone piece that was formed to perfectly sit in the inner ear, and called Eric to make sure they could hear us all the way from Louisiana. There were three of them, one for each of us, and they were designed for supernaturals, vampires specifically, and produced a level of sound so quiet that nobody but the vampire wearing it could hear, the idea of it being that no vampires would pick up on another vampire's phone call. It was some nifty new prototype with the technology to make our conversations completely private that would be installed in a new version of Bluetooth. We tested it out to make sure it worked for Alcide, a werewolf, before we moved on. Next, we pulled out the button cam and attached it to the collar of Alcide's jacket. The camera was microscopic, nobody would realize what it was and the video really was quite excellent quality. Video was transmitted from the camera to an internet tablet that we would be taking with us to the area around the bar so we could watch everything going on inside. Finally, we plugged in the signal router and waited for confirmation that we were broadcasting back to Fangtasia.

I knew the instant they received the signal because Eric's level of lust shot up like a lava chute. The camera was currently recording me and even though Eric had truly enjoyed my Vampire Sookie gear, it seemed he was much more appreciative of my Southern sundresses. Godric and Pam swamped me with amusement and I was sure Jess would've joined in if she could've felt Eric's reaction too.

" _Sookie_ ," Eric purred seductively into the earpiece, "I was worried I'd never see one of those dresses again."

Alcide jerked back in surprise and looked down at me with huge, wide eyes. His expression alone threw Godric into a fit of laughter.

"And why would you think that?" I asked, toying with him a bit and pretending I didn't understand while I adjusted the camera on Alcide's collar to get a better angle.

"Because it looked like your predator was in charge of your wardrobe the last two nights," Eric reasoned.

I laughed softly and said, "She was, Eric. How seriously would you take a vampire in a sundress? Especially a newborn?"

The earpiece fell silent for a second and understanding flooded through all three of my Louisiana blood ties. He then quietly asked, "So I will see more of these dresses?"

Hope was pulsing in the tie and I giggled when I felt it. I nodded and had to manipulate my blood from an entire state away to slap the back of his head after Eric then purred, "Good, _because I have fantasies of ripping them off you_."

Alcide made a horrible choking sound, worse than the type Jessica usually made, Godric chuckled, and female laughter echoed in the earpiece, coming from the background in the club. I also clearly heard Jess exclaiming, "So freaking _cool_!" and figured she was talking about the fact I had slapped him from a distance.

"I thought I'd be safer with more miles between us," Eric muttered and I flooded him with mirth for it.

Not having understood that comment, Alcide looked at me quizzically so Godric took pity on him by explaining, "Sookie just used her blood to smack the back of his head for that comment."

Genuine laughter bubbled up from his chest and he thought, _Didn't know they could do that._ _Really like this vamp. Might be the first vampire I'd ever consider offering friendship to. Wish she was human._

"Vampires really have that much control over their blood?" Alcide asked, his brows drawn together and a frown on his face. He was worrying about how much control Russell had and to what extent he could manipulate the blood pack.

He was right to worry.

I nodded while Godric said, "Sookie does. I'm sure Russell does too, but more so because of his age than any natural skill, like Sookie. She has more control over her blood than most. I'm not sure Eric could smack her back even at a thousand years old, though he did pick up on her caresses. My favorite though was her 'knee-slapper.' She thought something I said was amusing and used her blood to slap my knee."

Laughter surrounded Godric and I on all sides when Alcide, Eric, Pam, and Jess all laughed at that new little tidbit. With all that mirth whizzing about and crackling in our veins, we literally couldn't stop ourselves from chuckling along.

Pam's voice then cut in, enjoying our little story time session, when she added, "I liked it when she literally growled with the blood. The vibrations were _delicious_."

"I think my favorite was when Sookie used her blood to stroke Pam into purring like a cat at the exact moment she was playing with Sookie's hair," Eric chuckled, pushing an ocean's worth of amusement as he did. Alcide's face turned bright red from laughing so hard while Godric nodded with a shit-eating grin, agreeing that it had been funny too, but we could tell from his blood it wasn't his favorite.

 _Listen to Northman, he's… he's actually laughing. Sookie's really changed him. Loosened him up. Gotten to him. Wouldn't be surprised if he loved her. Wouldn't be a hard thing to do._

While delighting me with his internal thoughts, he clapped his hands together once and said, "All good here. Your end, Northman?"

"Everything's up and running and we're recording. Herveaux, do your best to avoid mirrors, we want to edit the footage as less as possible. You're also getting a code name, you are now 'Wolfman,'" Eric quipped.

Alcide chuckled and shot back, "Then you'll have to respond to Dracula or the Count, take your pick," while simultaneously thinking _He's trying to protect me? To keep my name secret?_ with surprise.

"If I have to have a codename, I'll go with Blade. You know, from that movie _Trinity_ or whatever," Eric retorted while sending me mischief. We both knew that would be my codename if we wanted to get technical since Blade was a day-walker. I shot him my patented knee-slapper and his mirth exploded.

"Well, it's better than Twilight or Sparkles," I mumbled, smiling when everyone burst into laughter again and doubling Eric's mirth with another joke about day-walking.

Godric waved his hand in the direction of the door in question, so I nodded and reached across the table to snatch up the tablet before following my partners-in-crime out the door. We climbed into Alcide's typical male oversized truck with Alcide behind the wheel and headed in the direction of Lou Pines. He drove past it once to give us a quick peek before guiding his truck down a backstreet, looking for a place to park. He drove down a couple dark alleys, doing his best to find a spot where we would be close enough to act quickly if he needed us but still far enough away that no wolves could catch a whiff of our scent.

After all, we were in enemy territory.

Lou Pines was definitely a biker bar. Motorcycles were lined up outside the front and there were several Weres standing outside with beer bottles in hand, dressed up in leathers, patches and sporting the occasional bandana. The building itself kind of looked like a warehouse. It was painted a dirty white on the first level and topped off by a tan color on the second. The windows were just for show, completely blacked out, and a rusted, useless fire escape ran up the backside. A bright, vertical neon sign announced the name in glowing blue letters and had the outline of a wolf silhouetted by a crescent moon in front. With our enhanced hearing, we could hear the jazz music playing inside and Weres laughing, hollering, and drunkenly baying in their human forms.

Damn, were they rowdy.

"It may not look like much," Alcide commented, "but Lou Pines? It's the oldest Were bar in Mississippi."

He parked about a block from the bar, explaining he wanted us to be far enough away that none of the wolves would catch the scent of any vampires, especially since they were V addicts, and we agreed with him. It would definitely not be good if the wolves scented us, and not just because they might attack us, but because our scents could then give us away when we went to Russell's compound the next night.

"You be safe in there, Alcide," I whispered.

Alcide quickly pulled the key from the ignition, hopped out of the truck, gave us a serious nod that promised he would, and shut the door. I handed the tablet to Godric and gave him a meaningful look, reminding him of something we had discussed on the run home the night before. He nodded and gave me the "Green light" so I checked our surroundings to ensure we were alone before closing my eyes and focusing on my inner light.

When Godric had taught me tracking, he showed me how to blend in with the surrounding darkness and told me to focus on cloaking myself in the shadows, on covering myself with it. My glow is a little different than other vampires' though, it's a little brighter and I couldn't quite hide myself from other supernatural eyes, so on a whim I randomly decided to play around with my fairy light and used it to manipulate the light around me, including my glow. I pulled all the light that made me visible in towards my core, absorbing it into my spark. Gradually, my glow began to shift and diminish, but it didn't stop there. My features kept disappearing when I continued reigning in that light until I had disappeared completely. I had cloaked myself entirely, and that didn't just mean visually. My fairy light was such an innate part of me that it affected the sound of my voice and my scent as well, so when I pulled that light inward, I also pulled my scent and my voice in tighter to my body, hiding it within the new light shield. I made myself literally untraceable in every sense and shielded my voice and scent along with my body.

"Can you guys still hear me?" I asked.

Godric and I both doubted a camera would work from within my light shield since cameras fundamentally operated by using light and lenses, but we theorized an earpiece/microphone like the one I had might. On the other hand, it was possible my cloaking technique could interrupt the signal. Since my clothing disappeared but still functioned when I manipulated the light though, I thought it was more than promising the earpiece could still function as long as we were both cloaked.

"Yes, we can, why?" Eric asked.

"Sookie was just messing around with the light and dropped it," Godric hinted and Eric pushed us understanding. "She's going to take a closer look and keep watch in a smaller radius in case she can catch one of the wolves on V to glamour for information."

By smaller radius, Godric meant I was going inside the bar. Alcide was working for us and dealing with a highly vicious, drugged up pack of wolves, so we just didn't feel right about sending him in without back up and I could literally pop him away if things got volatile. While I was in there, I would dig into their minds and search for information about the pack and their master to see if we could confirm Russell's involvement. I really didn't need to glamour any wolves, but if I found some good intel, I would so we could record it as additional evidence. If Eric approached the Authority without any evidence Russell was as looney as he was, it would be the word of a king, an ancient three times his age, against the word of a sheriff of a bordering state.

Unless Russell suddenly snapped and killed someone on live TV, the Authority would never take just Eric's word for it.

"We won't have video of whatever information she gathers," Pam pointed out. I was pretty sure she was pouting by the tone of her voice.

"No, but we will have audio," I suggested after a moment of contemplation. "Are you recording?"

Pride enveloped me from all sides and Eric purred, " _Clever girl._ "

My veins vibrated again when their blood all hummed in agreement and my entire body trembled.

"Give us a minute and we will be," Pam said. We could hear faint clicking as she typed something on her keyboard. Her voice became fainter when she moved away from her mic and said, "Jess, keep an eye on this and make sure it keeps recording. I need to focus on the video feed."

"Sookie, be careful, min älskare," Eric murmured. I pushed him understanding, reassurance, and security to show him I would be. "If things get rough, I want you to run like the wind and get back to Godric faster than you can say snap, crackle, _pop_ , okay?" [my lover]

"Okay, Eric. I will. Don't worry, I gave you my word I wouldn't take unnecessary risks," I whispered while pushing him acceptance. He responded by showering me in tenderness and gratitude, making me extremely thankful nobody could hear me purr, until they all laughed and I realized with the earpiece they could.

"Sookie, we're recording the audio now," Pam announced.

I tugged on the bond to let Godric know I was ready and popped myself out of the truck, reappearing next to it. By doing this, nobody would see a door magically opening and closing by itself.

I took off at vamp speed and caught up to Alcide just as he was approaching the entrance. He quietly told us all _Wolfman_ was about to enter the bar, speaking loud enough for only to the earpiece to catch, and greeted his friend Tray just inside the door.

While Alcide spent a moment catching up with his friend, I adjusted my filters to dig through their thoughts and search for anything to do with V, Russell Edington, branding, vampires, kidnappings, and blood packs. While the filters gathered data in the background of my mind, using several vampiric thought processes at once, I began actively searching and sifting through minds one by one, starting with Tray.

From Tray alone, I learned about Debbie's faux engagement party that was a cover for her initiation to the pack. When Alcide and I entered the bar, I then also learned that the entire pack would be in attendance the next night and they were expecting their blood master to make an appearance. I circled the room gathering data and mentally marking potential wolves to glamour as Alcide went to the bar and ordered a drink, shifting his body for the camera to catch the crew having a ridiculous drinking competition and getting trashed off their asses. After getting his drink, he casually moved from table to table talking to familiar faces while discreetly keeping his collar angled towards the wolves on V.

He was a regular bloodhound, sniffing out potential targets like it was his second nature.

Knee-slapper, right?

"Guys, notify me if you recognize someone from the crew leavin' the bar," I requested and was immediately pushed acquiescence from Godric, Eric, and Pam. They were trying to limit how much they spoke just in case one of the wolves had extremely good hearing and heard them through Alcide's earpiece. The wolves were on 3,000 year old vamp blood and we didn't know how well that would improve their hearing range.

I now knew for a fact the blood was nearly 3,000 years old because I confirmed from one of the wolves that Russell was indeed the blood master. And I had a shit ton more intel where that came from.

I now knew their schedules, their rituals, their most recent completed tasks, who their Alpha was, where they liked to take their monthly runs and get high, everything that was involved in the initiation ceremony, what they're upcoming missions were, how many vampires they had recently kidnapped and drained from other states to satisfy their addiction, and who they were looking at as potential recruits, hoping to get them addicted too.

I also knew they had dropped Bill Compton off at Russell Edington's compound.

I hit the fucking lottery.

While Alcide continued to film their increasingly rough behavior, I tracked the wolves one by one outside and promptly popped them to a dark alley corner, let go of my shield so my eyes could connect with theirs, and whammied them with glamour before they even knew what hit them. I used my glamour to ask them the questions I already knew the answers to so we would have audio evidence of everything we learned. I had to keep up the pretense I was no longer telepathic and this was the best way to do that. When I was done, I glamoured them each into thinking they stopped in the alley for a leak before sending them off to bed with a healthy desire to start cutting back on V after the initiation tomorrow night. Godric and I would be long gone by the time my compulsion took place and maybe I'd score some brownie points with the Authority when they heard it.

It was obvious we couldn't keep my glamour secret from the Authority after this- we had too much evidence that _needed_ to be presented which was revealed through that ability. There wasn't really a risk in telling the Authority though, just the two-natured. If anything, the Authority would want me to work for them. They couldn't compel me or force me though because Godric was one of the oldest and most influential vampires in the country and we had a convenient little law about not interfering in the relationship between a maker and his progeny.

Unless the progeny was being punished, of course. Even then the maker had the option of taking the progeny's place for part or all of the punishment.

Luckily, the night was ultimately uneventful. I mean in the respect that Alcide and I were completely safe. It wasn't so uneventful for the bouncers of the bar who had to break up three bar fights, kick out aggressive wolves, or physically remove some drunken wolves who were forcefully putting their nasty-ass paws all over the women drinking inside. The last one was rarer since the women who frequented the bar often encouraged that kind of behavior or were drunk and on V themselves.

It was disgusting to watch.

Which meant it was perfect for us.

At the end of the night, when the bar started to close, I left when I heard from Alcide's mind that he was heading back to the truck and beat him there. I pulled on the bond once again, popped myself in next to Godric, and slowly released my hold on my light while I bent over my seat to keep from attracting attention as the light glowed and shifted around me. When I sat back up, Godric was giving me the biggest shit-eating grin I'd ever seen and snatched me up for the world's tightest embrace. I was lucky I didn't need to breathe.

He then started a massive bloodline chain reaction of pushing me pride and gratitude, leaving me a purring like a kitten and vibrating from the powerful strength of the emotions they were sending me.

"Amazing, min dotter. You have brought a thousand year old search a solid lead and found the wolves' master. You've given us everything we could ever possibly need to get permission to end him in just one night. You have done well, Sookie. You have done so well," Godric said, his voice muffled because he was still clutching me desperately and speaking into my hair.

"Thank you, Sookie. Thank you," Pam whispered when he finished, feeling extremely grateful because she knew how much this meant to Eric. She also knew that with finding Bill's location, we would soon be free and clear of the Magister's attention. These were both incredibly good things.

Eric then flushed my veins with more affection than I'd ever felt since the night my turning, caressed me with tenderness, smothered me with thankfulness, and added a healthy dose of awe while he murmured in a thick, strained voice, "Tack, Sookie. Tack, min lilla lejoninna." [Thank you, Sookie. Thank you, my little lioness.]

I was beginning to think Eric slipped into Swedish when he was feeling overly emotional, not that I really minded when he spoke in Swedish.

In fact, I found it incredibly sexy.

Feeling grateful myself for everything I was experiencing from my bloodline (plus gentle affection from Jessica), I sent a push that said _You're welcome_ to all three of them and responded to Eric with something I'd learned from Godric earlier, "Du är välkommen , du stora viking." [You're welcome, you big viking.]

Shock promptly rippled through Pam and Eric while Godric's mirth and amusement seemed to be orbiting above the earth during the period of silence after I spoke. Then, of course, Eric's lust shot up and we all heard his fangs click down. Slowly, Godric started laughing softly, provoking another chain reaction that echoed through our bloodline. They all reached out through the ties at about the same time to stroke and caress me while pushing me kisses and wrapping me up in emotional embraces, resulting in the loudest and longest purr of my undeath just as Alcide opened the truck door and hopped in. He took one look at me lazily purring and making all-too-happy vampire noises, and doubled over laughing.

When he straightened up, he sent even more amusement whizzing around our ties when he said, "Got the video, anything happen out here?"


	26. Chapter 26: Feeling the Pull

_**A/N:**_

 _Hello Readers! So we're coming down to it. I only have one or two more chapters left before I need to take a break and write some more. I promise I 'll write as fast as I can, but I doubt I'll be able to crank it out in a couple hours like I've been doing with these updates. I am not a miracle worker. Just a writer of miracles._

 _All right, this chapter has been much anticipated. It comes with... refreshments. Who would like a glass of lemonade?_

 _I just hope it's not sour. This is my first fanfic. If I really embarrass myself, let me know and we can all laugh about it later._

 _ **Disclaimer** : HBO, Alan Ball, and Charlaine Harris own True Blood and SVM. I own nothing. I just took a scene from Dallas and ran with it. And then I swam with it. And when I climbed up outta the ocean, I might've grown wings, shot into the sky, and flown with it._

* * *

Last night, when I glamoured Alcide, I had incorporated his direction to forget my glamouring ability into the liquid mirror block, so Alcide would literally be glamouring himself about my ability to glamour until I decided to destroy the block, if I ever did. He would never remember us talking about it tonight even if I did take it down one day, because that had been what I had glamoured him to do, forget.

Godric told him nothing happened but explained I managed to overhear some news about a blood pack gathering the next night and we'd tell him all the details back at his place. He then thanked him profusely for his help. Alcide waved off the thanks, said he actually enjoyed it, and took us back to the complex.

When we got back to the apartment, it really only took us about a half hour to pack up all the equipment and explain what we knew about Debbie's engagement party/initiation ceremony and convince Alcide he had to go back to Lou Pines and catch it on film. Unfortunately, telling him this also meant telling him Debbie was a bloodhead, a hardcore V addict, and that just broke his heart. We honestly persuaded him into helping us by pointing out how we'd be helping her; we'd be taking away her source and getting rid of her master. He was all on board with that.

Since the bar closed at two in the morning and it only took us ten minutes to get back, it was still a couple hours before dawn. Alcide told us goodnight and went to bed while we settled on the couch and entertained ourselves with the TV. While we watched, I checked in on all my connections. I could feel with my blood that Jess and Pam were still at Fangtasia and Eric had gone back to the cabin. From their levels of concentration, I would guess that Pam and Jess were working on editing and compiling the recordings. When I focused on Eric though, I couldn't really tell what he was doing. I dug further in and realized he'd shielded his emotions again, just like two nights before when he shut down on me. I bit my lip and focused on nothing but him, trying to get a read, and grew more and more concerned when I couldn't.

After only about five minutes of worrying away next to Godric, he turned to me and caught my attention with a smile. He ran his fingers over my cheek gently, pushed a lock of hair behind my ear, and softly said, "You've done me very proud tonight, child. Why don't you take the rest of the night for yourself?"

Huh?

I turned my attention to our bond and could feel a layer of worry sprinkled throughout his side as well. Godric had noticed Eric's lack of emotions too. He gave me an unreadable look while sending me understanding and a little push of encouragement, but I still didn't really understand what he was getting at.

"But… what am I supposed to do alone in Jackson?" I asked and injected my confusion into the bond.

He simply smiled again and mischief filled our connection before he suggested, "You could always _pop_ in on a friend?"

My stomach flip-flopped at the idea and I gave Godric my own smile of mischief. I wanted to check in with Eric and Godric knew it. He was also worried about him, but he was releasing me for the night to go alone, to give me and Eric a little time together. I hadn't had more than couple minutes alone with Eric since we arrived in Louisiana and I'd love nothing more.

"Of course, I'd shield my ties with Jessica and Pam if I were you, otherwise your visit may be interrupted by two vampires wanting to know how you got to Louisiana so quickly," he then suggested.

"You'd be okay with me leavin' you here, Godric?" I asked quietly. We'd gone everywhere together since he turned me. I hadn't left his side in a month.

He gave me another smile and cupped my cheek, "Yes, Sookie. I am 2,000 years old. I can handle a couple hours alone."

I flooded him with mirth and he chuckled before sending me more encouragement and the "Green light." I shot him a soft smile as I reigned in my light, pulling it into my core and disappearing from view while putting filters on all my ties in Louisiana to shield my location from them gradually, so they wouldn't immediately notice and become alarmed. Just as I was about to pop away, Godric murmured, "Take care of him, Sookie."

I popped directly into Eric's bedroom, where I could feel his presence, chuckling to myself when my sweetened scent from earlier hit my nose. Eric was sitting on the edge of his Viking-sized bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and staring off into space. I took a quick peek into his thoughts and realized he was replaying memories of the night he lost his family and parts of his search for their murderer. I should've realized how hard this would be for him, how hard it would be to finally find the man responsible for the deaths of his parents and baby sister. It had to be tearing him up to know who it was and not be able to immediately take his vengeance. It must've been killing him to stay in Shreveport when he finally knew who the blood master was and _where_ he was. If Eric didn't wait though, he would do something rash and dangerous. Going in now, without a plan, would only end badly and put Godric and me at risk since we'd been tasked with finding Bill and needed to get into Russell's compound.

I walked over to stand in front of Eric, still shielded, and dropped to my knees to study his face. Eric's features were grim and unyielding. He was trying to push everything away, only his eyes gave away his grief. Slowly, I reached up and cupped his face between my hands. He startled, not having felt me nearby, and then realization dawned on him and his lips twitched. I stroked his cheek and he brought his hands up to lay them over mine before sliding them down to my wrists and closing his fingers around them. A blood tear spilled down his cheek and I leaned forward, moving closer, and placed my lips on his skin to catch the tear and swallow it.

"Min älskare," he sighed, his breath ghosting across my ear as he let go of my wrists to wrap his arms around me, clutching me closer and tucking me into him. [My lover]

I released my light again and moved my own arms to wrap them around his neck with my lips still pressed to his cheek as my features shimmered and shifted with light, briefly glowing until I was visible once again.

He tucked his head into the crook of my neck and pulled me even closer, pulling me between the v of his legs to bring me flush against his body as he breathed out, "A thousand years, Sookie. A thousand years of searching and I don't think I can wait another minute to put them to rest."

"Yes, you can, Eric," I whispered back and brought a hand up to slip my fingers in his hair and gently trail my nails across his scalp in a repetitive soothing motion. "If you could wait a thousand years, you can wait a couple days. You're strong enough to do that and you know it. If you do somethin' now, you'll put us in danger, you'll risk losin' all the ground we've gained in the last couple nights and you know that too. Your family is already at rest, Eric. They've been at rest for a thousand years. You're just workin' to put their memory to rest now, because they're already in Valhalla. They're no longer in pain, Eric, and I'm sure it's tearin' them up to see that you still are."

He took a deep breath and shuddered in my arms and I could feel moisture on my neck and scent more blood tears. He pressed me closer and we stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in a bittersweet embrace. Slowly, he released the blood shield masking all his emotions from me, and just me, to allow me in. My heart ached when I felt all that pain, all that grief. Being taught to shut down, to stifle all his emotions hadn't done Eric any good. His emotions didn't disappear just because he refused to feel them, they piled up, backing up like a river that'd been dammed and now the pressure was too much. He'd refused to feel it all for a thousand years and now he had a thousand years' worth of pain, grief, and despair weighing down on him.

I wanted to help him with it. I wanted to help him so badly. I reached across the tie and brought that grief into myself while I blanketed his emotions in a gentle shower of love. It wasn't romantic love, I thought this was be a pretty shitty moment to lay that on him, but it was love all the same. I soothed away the ragged edges in the tie, sanding down the sharp and painful points with my mental fingers and buffed out the hurt while I poured affection, tenderness, warmth, and strength into the tie. I simultaneously pulled from it, absorbing as much of that pain and grief as I could into myself. With nowhere to go, my emotions began to darken, fold in on themselves, and Eric gasped and shuddered again against me as he choked out, "Sookie."

He started pull back emotionally to shelter me from his pain, but I held firm and didn't let him. When things became too dark for me, I opened my bond with Godric as wide as I could. I couldn't help Eric battle all this grief by myself, but I wasn't alone and neither was Eric. Godric immediately swung his side fully open in reaction to me and dipped his hands into the tie between me and Eric and scooped out as much grief as he could with both hands, pulling it into the bond and absorbing it into himself. Godric had a huge capacity for emotions. He was twice as old as Eric and could potentially handle twice as much. We worked together, draining Eric of all that poisonous grief and pushing strength and love into him in return.

"You are not alone, Eric. You never have to carry somethin' like this alone, let us carry it with you," I whispered and pushed him reassurance and reinforced our tie with the feeling of family and unity. He exhaled slowly and nodded before removing the blood shield he had around his bond with Godric. Shock rippled across both of our bonds with him for a second before Godric threw that bond wide open too and pulled from Eric directly while still scooping out the darker emotions from me. He then pushed strength, love, and frenzied affection at the both of us and caressed me with gratitude. When it looked like Eric's grief was becoming more manageable, I focused on the wounds, the source of all this pain. He never dealt with it, suppressing it instead, so it had festered and would continue to produce this pain until it healed. All of these emotions would keep poisoning him unless we bandaged up the wound.

Once I found it, I pressed my mental fingers to it gently, touching softly to put pressure on it and stop the bleeding. He shuddered again and whimpered. It was too emotionally painful. There was too much pain, too much trauma, just like when I dealt with Lafayette's PTSD. I pulled my arms tighter around Eric and he sank further into me while I focused on my light and directed it to the tie. It lit up with a warm, beautiful, and electric green, lacing sparks across it and soaking into him and his bonds. Awe and wonder radiated back towards me from Eric and Godric along with a healthy dose of love that made me purr.

My hands lit up along with the tie and I pushed that into Eric too. He relaxed against me, letting go of the strain and sinking into the warmth of our embrace and connection. Slowly, he lifted his head and brought his gaze to mine. He studied my face like he was trying to memorize every feature to keep tucked away inside for eternity. The longer I used the light, the less hard and stony his face looked and the more relaxed and peaceful he became. His limbs loosened and he languidly reached up a hand to touch my face and caress my lips with his fingertips. When I finally felt his wound knit closed and scar over, I reigned in my light, gradually bringing down the intensity and brightness in the room until it was just two normal looking vampires instead of two freaky green glowsticks.

Now you could say we had a more natural, or supernatural, glow.

"Du är så vacker , min Sköldmö," Eric murmured and leaned forward to kiss me before I could ask him what it meant. [You are so beautiful, my shieldmaiden.]

While he took my lips in a rough kiss, he lowered his hands to my waist and lifted me, pulling me into his lap. I dropped my knees on either side of him and brought both of my hands up to lace them together behind his neck. He tasted my mouth with firm, tantalizing strokes and slid his hands lower, trailing them down my legs to the edge of my dress and gently slipped them underneath, lingering with his fingers on my smooth legs. Slowly, he started bringing them higher and stopped when his left hand hit my knife sheath.

He broke the kiss and pulled back with a raised eyebrow, flipped up part of the skirt of my dress to look at it and chuckled, "You're like a flower with hidden thorns."

That had probably always been true about me. Who could tell just by looking at me I could read every dark secret any person ever had or shoot light from my hands?

He brought his face back to mine and kissed me softer than before, tenderly, as he expertly unlatched the sheath and tossed it off to the side of the room. While I lost myself in the feel of his lips, he resumed his path and pushed my dress up, sliding it over my body and briefly breaking away just long enough to drag it up over my head until I was clothed in nothing but red lingerie.

He slowed the rhythm of our kiss even more so he could pull back again and run his eyes over my body. His fangs dropped, making mine drop, and he thickly whispered, "Beautiful."

I slid my own hands down from his neck to his jacket and pushed it back, freeing his arms from it before directing my attention to his shirt and removing that too.

Man, did he have nice abs.

I settled my hands there and traced his muscles with my fingertips while Eric scented my shoulder and neck and nuzzled into me, teasing my skin with his lips while he unfastened my bra. He brought his lips back up to mine as he added it to the pile in the corner before returning his hands to my hips, hooking his fingers over the sides of my panties, and tearing them free to toss aside too.

He flipped our positions at vamp speed, shucking off his jeans as he moved, and set me gently on my back on the bed, never once breaking the kiss. As my lust grew, so did the intensity of the sensations I felt when Eric touched me. When he stroked his fingers down the length of my body, it felt like dozens of hands were running themselves across me, leaving my skin ablaze wherever he touched, and I couldn't hold back a whimper. When he moved his lips down my jaw and neck and used his tongue to taste my skin, it felt like I was being taunted with the smoothest velvet and softest fur. When he reached down to caress me between my legs, I overloaded on pleasure and arched into him, moaning and shuddering with my release.

He smiled against my skin and purred as I panted needlessly and writhed beneath him before bringing his lips back to mine. I sank my hands into his hair, tugged gently, and teased him with my nails once more. He growled, sending delicious shivers down my spine, and deepened the kiss while his hands burned a path up my legs and over my sensitive hips to slide themselves beneath me so he could tuck his arms around my waist, pulling my body flush against his and causing the most delectable friction whenever we moved. He spent a moment just enjoying the skin on skin contact while we kissed, until I wrapped my legs around him and locked them at my ankles, pulling us impossibly closer. When I did that, he slipped his arms free again to bring one up to rest beside my head and brace himself on it while trailing the other back between us.

His lips left mine and I opened my eyes to stare into his fiery blue ones as he pushed into me, filling me deliciously and sending electric shocks down my spine. I nearly climaxed again when he entered me and my eyes fluttered closed in pleasure. He stilled when my lids closed and brought his hand up to cup my cheek and hoarsely pleaded, "Open your eyes, min älskare. Look at me. Look at me, Sookie, please."

I opened my eyes and met his gaze, running my fingers down his cheek as I did. He pushed the rest of the way in, reaching so deep inside me that I had to marvel at how we fit, and we both groaned in appreciation. I felt so delectably full with him inside me, more complete than I had ever felt before. When he started to move, I moaned again and firmly dragged my nails down his back. He hissed but his lust sky-rocketed and his pace picked up, setting a drugging rhythm that made my mouth water. He captured my lips again and kissed me passionately as we moved together. My stomach gradually started to tighten once more and I felt my insides coil as we teased each other with our mouths. When I could feel myself hovering over the golden edge again, I tore my lips from his and trailed sensual kisses along his jaw and throat. I bit down when I came, gently pressing my fangs into his jugular and drank, relishing in the taste of rock salt and white chocolate. It was the most delicious blood I'd ever tasted.

He hissed out something in Swedish when I bit and trembled above me before locking himself in place, tightening all of his muscles and becoming as rigid as a board. I mapped out the taught ridges and planes of his back with my hands as I came down from my high. Having sated my thirst with his scrumptious blood, I retracted my fangs and hummed as I licked my marks clean. When I stopped pulling, Eric shook his head in disbelief, brought his lips back to mine for an almost desperate caress, kissing me feverishly, and started rolling his hips again, quickly whipping us back into a sexual frenzy by thrusting deeper into me than ever before and adding a sensual twist to his strokes that had me tightening my legs around him and shaking with pleasure.

The third time I started approaching a release, I'd had enough and decided Eric was coming with me. He was intentionally holding out, wanting to wring as many orgasms as he could from me before joining me. I could feel how badly he wanted to come when I bit him, and this time I wanted us both to be satisfied. As my stomach started to coil, I tightened my inner muscles around him and started flooding him with lust. His eyes widened when he felt them both and he threw out a curse. I cranked the lust up even more and tugged his head down to meet his mouth with mine and wrapped my tongue around his fangs as I robbed him of all his intentions to outpace me. He rumbled in pleasure against my lips and we saw fireworks at the same time. Both our bodies shuddered as we tumbled off that cliff, coming apart together in a tangled mess and heap of limbs. He most decidedly took revenge on me though when he broke our kiss to plant his fangs in my neck, making me instantly come again with his first pull, every vein in my body quivering as he sucked.

We hadn't taken much from each other, just a couple small pulls each, enough to quench our thirst and strengthen our connection but not enough to make the tie nearly as strong as my bond with Godric.

After a couple sips, Eric retracted his fangs and languidly sealed the wounds before muttering, "Vixen."

I laughed delightedly and argued, "You know you liked it."

He pulled his head up to meet my gaze and grinned at me, not answering me but making me giggle anyways when blood very vocally hummed in agreement. Gently, he untangled our limbs and moved to lie next to me. I turned on my side to face him and he linked a hand with mine while he teasingly accused, "Everyone thinks you're a darling, don't they?"

"I _am_ a darling," I drawled, thickening my Southern accent, and batted my eyelashes.

Eric laughed and tugged me closer, bringing me to lie flush against him, like he wanted as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. He lazily ran his fingers up my thigh, over my hips, arm, and neck to push some hair behind my ear and sink his fingers into it, playing with my locks, and asked, "Why didn't your blood affect me like your scent did? Drive me further into bloodlust?"

I trailed my own fingers along his face and lingered over the dimple in his chin as I softly answered, "Because I'm controllin' the effects. I started manipulating everythin' the moment you began drinkin' from me. I tamped down on your lust and raised your concentration levels. I'm workin' like the dickens right now to make sure you don't feel drunk."

He raised his eyebrows before closing his eyes and concentrating internally to analyze what my blood was doing. He opened them again to give me an incredulous look when he realized I really was manipulating the effects.

"We hadn't shared any blood when I released my scent, I couldn't hinder the side effects then," I added.

He absorbed that for a minute and slowly nodded while pushing me understanding. He then dropped his hand from my hair to run his fingers over my neck, settling his eyes on my jugular. The sun was beginning to pull on him while he eyed my vein, tugging him toward his day-rest. I was surprised he hadn't felt it earlier, honestly. It was now past dawn and the nearing sunrise was part of the reason I'd flooded him with lust, since there just wasn't enough time to keep going- vampires had incredible stamina and could go at it for hours. After a moment of lethargic contemplation, he brought his eyes back to mine and flattened his hand on my throat, rubbing it softly as he said in a low voice, "When you get back from Mississippi, I want to exchange with you."

Surprise rippled through me and I studied his eyes, making sure he wasn't joking with me. I knew I mentioned exchanging in the future the night I came back to Louisiana, but I didn't think either one of us would be considering that for a long time. I wouldn't have mentioned it all if I hadn't felt how panicked he was after unintentionally hurting me and how worried he was Godric and I would leave the state. Bonding was incredibly sacred to vampires and even a first level bond was something very few of us ever did. It blew me away knowing Eric wanted that with me so soon. I turned my attention to his blood and analyzed it, needing to know he really meant it. Even more surprise shot through me when I discovered he did. I could feel in his blood how much Eric craved it, how much he wanted to be connected to me on that level.

If he wanted to bond with me that much, then Godric was right.

Eric loved me.

Hesitancy filled the tie as I was realizing all of this and he reluctantly whispered, "Sookie, if you don't want-"

"Okay," I interrupted, cutting off his silly attempt to let himself down easy.

His eyebrows shot to the sky and he doubtfully repeated, "Okay?"

"Okay," I said and kissed him while drowning him in confidence to prove to him I was sure. "We'll exchange when I come back," I clarified after I pulled back. I loved Eric, I was _in love_ with Eric, and if he wanted to bond that soon, I wanted to too. I was already addicted to feeling his emotions and I was struggling to leave him alone during the day, so having a piece of him tucked inside me sounded perfect to me.

Apparently, Eric hadn't really been expecting a yes when he asked me because disbelief swelled in the tie, quickly followed by wonder. Affection and tenderness rose from our connection, washing over me in a gentle wave and making me purr.

He chuckled softly at the sound and traced my lips with his fingertips again before sighing out, "Min lilla lejoninna," and sliding off to sleep.

Or to death.

Whatever.

I laid there for a while and snuggled into him, resting my head against his chest and wrapping an arm around him, reluctant to leave. After spending an hour in his arms and cloaking myself in the scent of saltwater and snowflakes, I got my ass in gear and finally pulled myself out of the bed and headed towards the bathroom. I climbed into the shower and took my time cleaning myself of the scent of sex and relishing in the feel of the water on my skin. Everything really was heightened when you rose and if I focused on the water as it hit my body, I could feel every single drop as it came into contact with me, gently thrumming against my skin. That feeling alone gave me delicious shivers.

When I hopped back out, I dried myself quickly and pulled my clothing out of the messy little pile Eric created, blushing when I realized he had literally torn my undies off me. I put everything back on, sans underwear, and secured my knife sheath to my thigh, which Godric had gifted to me in honor of my rising. When we discovered all the little extras I came with, he drilled it into my head that I would always need to be armed in case someone ever figured out what I was. The sheath itself was leather and the blade was made of silver, but the handle was a beautiful mother of pearl. He had the date I rose engraved on the blade with an inscription that said, "May we always save each other."

Damn maker made me cry.

After I got dressed, I wrote a note to Eric telling him he owed me panties and stuck both the torn fabric and the note his hand. I swept the loose hair from his forehead, dropped a tender kiss to his lips, and popped back into my travel coffin. I listened with my mind to make sure everything was hunky dory and confirmed Godric was in his own coffin before I shifted into downtime and drifted off.

Since I had nothing to do during the day as long as we were in Jackson, I forced myself to stay in my state of rest as long as possible. I couldn't truly call it sleep because part of my mind was active at all times, running through the events of the night and keeping up my shields. I was constantly aware of my surroundings, even when I rested and I would know right away if something happened and we needed to get out of our resting place. I would definitely know if someone had snuck into it too. Because vampires never tired and I wasn't bound by the sun, I could literally set my own internal alarm clock and wake whenever I wanted to. The first few days after I rose, I slept until Godric woke, waking me in turn when his blood inside me shifted into awareness. I experimented with my sleep patterns after that and realized I could order myself to wake at whatever time I wanted.

Not gonna lie. It was pretty cool.

Godric and I both woke about an hour before sunset, so I connected my mind with his and we talked about several things telepathically, including our plans for the night. Part of the plan for later was pretending Godric was training me in the way of old, meaning he was teaching me to survive the way vampires used to before the revelation. Godric had, in fact, trained me that way during the month we spent alone in Dallas. He had taught me to find shelter, dig my own grave, track unwilling prey, glamour, mask myself, and many other things. We spent about a week and half training before we returned to his resting place and spent the rest of our time there working on perfecting my gifts. Of course, that kind of training meant we would need to arrive by foot at the compound, so once we confirmed we could rest there, Godric would call a hotel and have them deliver two travel coffins before dawn. Alcide would bring the ones we owned to the hotel and check in for us as our dayman before coming back to fetch us from the compound the next morning.

If we came across Bill Compton, Godric would mention the Magister was looking for him. If Russell was cooperative, we would just order an additional coffin and bring Bill with us when we left. If he wasn't, we'd have to get a little more creative and we'd keep up our ruse. I'd search the grounds during the daylight and we'd take Bill with us, making him seemingly disappear, if it came down to it.

Just to be on the safe side, Godric and I decided to leave the technological equipment in my coffin. Whenever we retired to a room, I'd pop back over here and collect what we needed. We didn't want to take the risk they would search the bags we'd have with us tonight. We'd also wear the button cams but not the earpieces. It was just too risky with Russell being as old as he was. The cameras recorded audio and video, so Eric, Pam, and Jess could still watch everything, but they wouldn't be able to speak to us. We didn't know how well Russell could hear, so we wouldn't even try it.

Eric temporarily drew my attention from Godric when mirth erupted in my veins, making me aware of the exact moment when he rose.

I guess he must've read my note?

 _He's better tonight,_ Godric sent to me in a contemplative tone.

 _Yes, he is,_ I thought back.

 _You stopped a bleeding wound, min dotter._

I pushed agreement towards him and he wrapped me up with thankfulness before transitioning into other things. Eventually, Pam and Jessica came up we discussed them for a while.

 _I think they can be trusted. I feel it in my blood. I know we can't tell Jess until after Compton can no longer command her, but I wanna tell Pam when we get back tomorrow night._

I could feel him deliberating for a moment, looking at all the angles before he came to a decision and resolution filled the tie. _I think Eric should be the one to explain it. He can gauge her reaction the best and command her if necessary. About Jessica, how do you feel about being her sponsor, Sookie? Would you like to take over for Compton?_

I froze. Take over for Bill? I was too young to be a maker. I was a newborn and Jess had been vampire longer than me. I wasn't old enough to be anyone's blood sponsor. I flooded him with my confusion and asked, _What do you mean, master? She's older than me, I'm not experienced enough to become her maker._

He wrapped me up in reassurance and support in response and argued, _Sookie, you're the only one who connects with her, who reaches her. She submits to you and you naturally teach her. You made me so proud, child, when you taught her how to use her blood. Not only that, but she follows your command, follows your lead. Do you feel a pull towards her?_

 _What does the pull feel like?_ I asked.

 _Magnetic. Like your core is reaching out towards hers and you'd feel responsible for her. It would be your urge to take care of her, to protect her and teach her. You've already promised her protection and began teaching her the night we arrived. It wouldn't surprise me if you are being pulled to her._

Magnetic? There was one time when I felt like I was being pulled towards someone, but it wasn't Jessica, it was Eric. It felt like my entire being was being pulled towards his the night we came to the bar and my lust level had skyrocketed. I felt everything else towards Jess though. I did feel the need to take care of her and teach her, like I was responsible for her, and I had instinctively offered her protection. I told her we would care for her, protect her, and teach her and I'd done it in predator mode when I was my most instinctive, but I hadn't felt a pull. I explained this to him and the bond became reflective again.

Finally, he commented, _You're both vampire. The pull is usually from a vampire towards a human, but you were the human when you met. It's possible you would've felt it if your situations had been reversed. Do you want to take over?_

 _I want her to be safe,_ I protested. _How would I protect her when I'm so young? Pam would do a much better job, master. Besides, I'd be the first newborn to sponsor another, older one. It probably doesn't happen for a reason._

He made me shiver when his mental chuckle echoed in my head and then pointed out, _You excel in firsts, Sookie. It's your specialty. And Pam doesn't feel a connection with Jessica like you do. And you most definitely can protect her. You may not be as strong as Pam, but you're faster and more powerful. I couldn't think of someone safer for Jessica to have as a maker. Think about it and let me know when we get back to Shreveport, okay?_

I pushed agreement to him while I thought through everything he said. Godric had annihilated all of my arguments and, in all honesty, I would love to be Jessica's maker. If Godric would let me, then I didn't need to think about it. I would do it. It would be entertaining though since Jess would be learning as I did.

I guess we could learn together.

 _Godric? When you mentioned the pull, I experienced somethin' similar,_ I sent hesitantly and replayed my memory of seeing Eric again after a month.

It felt like a bomb had detonated when mirth exploded across the bond, setting off firecrackers throughout my blood. I shook my head to clear it of his mental laughter and realized I could hear him laughing his ass off inside his coffin too. He found what I showed him funnier than Eric staring at his thumb.

 _Sookie,_ he chuckled, _that's a completely different type of pull. I guess it would make sense for you to feel it though, I believe Eric felt it too when you let down your shield._

He did?

 _He did? What's it mean?_

The bond turned unbelievably tender and he sent me a mental whisper, _It's the pull to bond, Sookie. It's extremely rare. Vampires do not stay together long. They grow tired of each other and get under the other's skin, rubbing each other the wrong way when they're together for too long. Those who feel the pull to bond don't ever get tired of each other. They're compatible with the ones they're pulled to, they form the strongest bonds and become each other's support systems. In a way, it's a pull to a potential mate. I've personally never felt it. Not in 2,000 years._

Trepidation swelled up inside of me and I asked, _Does it force us to feel for each other? Are my feelings not real?_

He quickly coated me in reassurance from head to toe and sent, _No, dotter. It does not. It's just something the magic in our blood makes us aware of. Usually deep feelings are already present when you feel this pull. It doesn't create them though, did you suddenly find yourself in love with Eric the second you felt it?_

I poured my relief into the bond and admitted, _No. Godric, I was just worried it was influencing Eric to wanna bond with me, like how Bill influenced me with his blood. I never wanna force someone to feel somethin' that wasn't real like Bill forced me._

Godric pushed understanding at me and caressed me with affection before he paused, and then, very cautiously, he asked, _Make Eric want to bond with you? Does he want to bond with you, Sookie?_

My silence was his answer.

"I knew it!" he shouted from inside his coffin and the bond swelled with even more mirth than before and a strong sense of vindication and triumph. It piqued the interest of Pam and Eric and they flooded us both with curiosity and intrigue. I gave them a firm push telling them to go bathe in holy water, which only made them flush me with amusement, and pushed Godric my exasperation.

He was still laughing when he opened his coffin at sunset.


	27. Chapter 27: The Leader of the Pack

_**A/N:**_

 _Aw, shucks. Y'all rock. You know, I do think it's hilarious how much my story seems to be hindering work for some of you. I better not get sued later for profit losses._

 _Things are about to get... dramatic. This chapter is a little bit shorter than what I normally post, but I figured you'd all want a new one as soon as possible, so here it is._

 _Oh! In this fic, there is a level above the Authority, which is the Supernatural Council. The Supe Council focuses on interspecies disputes. That's kinda important because Alcide mentions it. You'll see._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own True Blood or SVM. They belong to Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO. I just enjoy borrowing their puppets and making them dance to a different tune._

* * *

Sending Alcide into Lou Pines was a little more difficult than the night before. He firmly believed the blood pack would "just kick my ass" if he tried to enter, so he had to sneak in through the backdoor. This time, my butt stayed firmly planted in the passenger's seat of his truck. I wanted to go in again, just to provide back-up, but Godric commanded me not to. There were too many Weres around and if things went badly, I wouldn't have been able to pop Alcide out of there without many sets of eyes seeing it. Sure, they wouldn't know how I did it or who did it, but if Alcide was going to play dayman the next day, there was an odd chance they could put it all together and realize just how unique I was. If Alcide got caught, he'd get a beating but if I did? I would get the true death.

Apparently, my bloodline preferred me very much undead.

Suck-ups.

Eric snickered through the earpiece when he felt my Stackhouse stubbornness rising after the command, but he firmly put a damper on my temper when he reminded me of my vow not to take any unnecessary risks. Eventually, I conceded and sat back in my seat with slumped shoulders.

I guess I'd be watching this on WolfTV.

Alcide went unnoticed for the most part. He circled through the room recording as many faces as he could. After seeing how many wolves Russell was giving his blood to, we had no doubts the Authority would sentence him to the true death. Not only was he violating one of our most sacrosanct laws, Russell was a danger to the vampire cause. If just one of these wolves told the news about what Russell was doing or the police tracked a bloodhead back to him, it would set back all the progress the AVL was making with the Vampire Rights Amendment.

He may have been the only other vampire more idiotic than Bill Compton.

There was a tense moment when we thought Alcide would be kicked out before catching Russell with the pack. Debbie found him and zeroed in on him like a hawk. Alcide pleaded with her for a moment, trying to talk some sense into her, and just when it looked like she might be hesitating, her boyfriend Cooter showed up.

None of could suppress a snicker at the name.

"Let him watch, Coot. It's the only way he's finally gonna understand, baby," Debbie said. She taunted Alcide and then made-out with her boyfriend right in front of him.

What a bitch. Literally.

As they walked away, Pam quipped, "Let her go, Alcide. You don't want to touch _her_ Cooter."

Even Alcide chuckled that time.

Eventually, the crowd erupted in cheers and roars and Debbie was lifted up above them. They stripped her down to her underwear and passed her from hand to hand up to the stage, letting her surf the crowd. Every single one of the rowdy looking wolves turned their eyes to the stage and a hush fell over them as they watched Debbie take her place and fall to her knees. Alcide stayed towards the back of the room, but adjusted himself so he had a clear line of sight of everything that was happening in front. Howls went up in the room in an eerie chorus and then the moment that we'd been waiting for arrived.

Russell Edgington graced us with his presence.

Triumph echoed throughout my blood connections as we watched. We now had indisputable evidence Russell was involved with a pack of wolves. He came out like a celebrity, wearing sunglasses and nodding to people in the crowd as he dropped a wolf pelt over Debbie's shoulders. He tossed his arms up in the air and the crowd fell silent once again. Russell then began speaking in German, pausing in places for his pack to shout an answer in unison, sounding every bit like a group of insane Nazis. There would be no doubt now that Russell was anything except their master. As a couple pack members brought forth shot glasses and Russell rolled up his jacket sleeves, Godric and I gave each other incredulous glances. Was Russell about to feed them all his blood at the same time?

Yes, he was.

Shock rippled across our blood bonds and ties as we watched Russell bite into his arm and bleed into dozens of shot glasses. They passed the glasses out among the crowd and the wolves lifted them into the air. Russell told them to drink and they all slammed the shots back and howled. Immediately, the air started to get tenser and the crowd even rowdier as the blood took hold.

"Shit," Alcide muttered. We all wholeheartedly agreed.

The looney king then put another nail in his coffin when he branded Debbie. He placed the hot poker to her skin and I cringed. I may be vampire and heal quickly, but even I knew that had to hurt. Russell then quickly disappeared, slipping away from the stage and out the door, and their Alpha, Cooter, hopped up on it. He worked the crowd up into a frenzy before ripping off his shirt, howling, and shifting. A weird energy rolled over the crowd and Alcide started backing away. He made it to the backdoor just as shirts started flying into the air and people started shifting, slipping out before they noticed him.

 _Holy shit._

"Holy shit," Pam whispered.

"My thoughts exactly," I mumbled. "When'd you become the mind-reader?"

Godric and Eric chuckled, but they did so distractedly.

"Well, I was wrong," I said. Godric quirked an eyebrow at me and confusion radiated out from my other ties. "Turns out Russell Edgington is the most idiotic vampire in the world _._ Not Bill Compton, after all."

That one at least got me genuine laughs.

"Master," Eric started, hesitantly. "Are you sure you still wish to approach the king?"

Godric and I looked at each other with surprise. Yes, what we saw was pretty bad. If we were found out we would literally be torn apart by wolves, but the fact that Eric was reconsidering us going in was an utter shock. He'd been searching for Russell for a thousand years and Godric and I would definitely find an opportunity for Eric to arrange a meeting with Russell if we went in.

"Eric?" Godric asked in a tone laced with confusion.

Silenced filled our ears for a brief a minute before Eric finally admitted in a whisper, "I don't want to lose another family."

I reached out and stroked him, sending amusement across our bond when he purred into our ears, and Godric pushed him reassurance and strength. When his purr died, Godric quietly said, "Min son, if we do not, we risk losing Sookie."

Every tie I had cried out when Godric said that. My connections burned in denial, outrage, protectiveness, and fear. Pam's and Jessica's also cried out with confusion, not understanding what Godric meant and why they could lose me.

I flooded them all simultaneously with reassurance, confidence, and security. I let them know I didn't plan on going anywhere, that even though Godric had said this, I was confident we'd come out on top. Pam and Jess didn't know about my extra abilities, but the sheer amount of confidence I sent them had relief welling up inside them.

At least until Godric spoke again.

"It's true, Eric. She's caught the Magister's eye. We need Bill Compton or he'll target her. You know this," Godric stressed.

Jessica's blood filled with overwhelming terror at the idea of losing me to him and I singled out her tie, pushing every bit of strength, comfort, reassurance, and love as I could into it. The Magister haunted Jess in a way, he'd literally had her kidnapped and killed, so she knew without a doubt that he was capable of taking me too and that scared the ever-loving shit out of her. I pushed her everything in a strong, continuous stream and I only relaxed the influx of emotions when I heard her gently purring in the background.

I would definitely be sponsoring Jessica. She barely blinked at the idea Bill would be given to the Magister, yet her entire being cried out at the idea of the Magister getting his hands on me. She was meant to be my progeny.

"I understand, master," Eric said with reluctance.

Glamouring the Magister into forgetting the challenge and test he issued me was a very last resort. He was a member of the Authority and there was no telling if he had already mentioned me to the people he associated with. If I had to glamour him, we would also have to find out who he mentioned me to, track them down, find out who they mentioned me to, and so on. Not only that, but if we could complete this test and retrieve Bill Compton, I'd find myself in a much better position in our world and could work my way towards securing my safety if vampires ever found out about my gifts. The best possible outcome in this scenario was to bring Bill back.

Besides, Billy boy and I needed to have a little talk.

Seconds later, Alcide forcefully yanked the door open, hurriedly climbed in, and slammed it shut. He was panting and sweat was rolling down his face. The energy pulsing through the crowd had affected him and his eyes had a yellowish tint to them. He wasn't as out of control as he was when he found out that wolves were doing V, so he just needed a moment to collect himself. We waited in silence as he worked to stifle his inner wolf. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, I'm going to need a copy of the evidence after all."

We nodded and he started up the truck to pull out. As we passed the bar, the door flew open and the wolves shot off in every direction, scattering like cockroaches when a light's been turned on, having been let loose in the city while high on V. Alcide cursed as we watched and punched the dashboard.

"Maybe I should call a dog catcher?" Eric asked, obviously still watching the live video feed. Both Godric and I had to desperately stifle our urge to laugh. Alcide's responding feral growl kind of sucked the enjoyment out of it, though, and we became absolutely serious once again.

"You're makin' the right decision, Alcide. This just ain't safe. So many people could get hurt and they could end up revealing the two-natured before y'all are ready if they keep this up," I said quietly.

"Yeah," he sighed and ran a tired hand over his face. "Yeah. This shit is crazy. I'll take it to my pack master and see what he says. If he won't get involved, I guess I'll take it to the Council. I can't let this happen in my own backyard. It's a nightmare. And I can't _believe_ it took a group of _vampires_ to point it out to us."

Godric and I both nodded, not really sure what else to say. A memory of Eric's then popped into my head and I said, "I have a shifter friend. He came to Eric to ask for help when a supernatural creature, a maenad, took over my town. He told Eric that 'until somebody starts trusting somebody, we're all just single targets, just ripe for the picking.' I think he was right when he said that."

Godric shot me a soft smile, lifted his arm to drape over my shoulders, and gave me a gentle squeeze while Alcide tore his eyes from the road and glanced at me. He nodded slowly when he met my eyes, agreeing with me, and softly said, "Well, as crazy as it sounds for a wolf to trust a vampire, I think I actually trust the two of you. It sounds like you trust a shifter and he trusts you back. Maybe we all should work together on things like this. I keep an eye on the Were community, you keep eyes on the vamps, your shifter friend keeps an eye out for random supes, and when things overlap, we help each other? After this, no more favors and keeping tabs. If something like this happens again, where more than one race is involved, we just help each other."

Godric and I smiled brilliantly at Alcide, already deciding that we'd accept that deal. We could feel Eric and Pam deliberating in the blood, not really liking the idea they couldn't get favors out of this, but when they felt our resolution and how much we admired and appreciated his idea, they reluctantly gave in. When I felt them agree, I nodded at Alcide, still smiling. After a second, he realized I was giving him his answer and he slowly smiled back.

"Good," he chuckled and lightly bounced a closed fist off the steering wheel before focusing on back on the road ahead. "That's probably the best thing I heard all night."

Well, technically, I hadn't actually said anything.

He turned his attention back to the road and started driving us back to the complex so Godric and I could set up our own spyware for the night and put Alcide's away. Godric gave the bond a double tug and I looked up at him while opening up my mind _, You realized you just inspired a Werewolf to form an alliance with vampires? You did that, Sookie. You made a werewolf comfortable enough to trust a vampire to begin with and now he's willing to work with us in the future. He won't even ask a favor if we have to beg his help._

 _We did that, Godric. He said he trusted the both of us. That means Alcide also trusts you, so_ _ **we**_ _did that,_ I protested.

He smiled beautifully at me and pushed me acceptance while delight and pleasure swirled happily in the bond. Godric was thrilled a Were trusted him, that he helped inspire something that could help all the supes in our area if things got difficult again.

I'd have to talk to Sam about it, but I was pretty sure he'd throw his lot in with us since it was kind of his idea. I decided I might even bring it up to Lafayette whenever we'd have lunch and see if he could be our eye in the Witch community. It couldn't hurt to keep an eye out for trouble there too.

Once we were back at the apartment, we quickly unhooked all of Alcide's gadgets and gizmos and set up our own. I could feel anticipation mounting in each of my ties as the night drew on. Godric and I needed to make a good impression on Russell in order to gain access to his compound. I grew a little bit tenser while we got ready, knowing I might see Bill Compton tonight and I thought about how I would probably react. I was going to try very hard not to become predatory when I saw him. If I dropped my fangs or hissed without provocation in front of the king and any of his retinue, I would screw us. I couldn't take that risk.

"Master?" He looked up from one of the silver cases he was packing with a quirked eyebrow. "Can you command me not to act aggressively when I see Compton?"

His expression turned incredibly tender and he flooded me with support while he gently nodded. My bloodline was still watching and they laced our connections with confidence, security, and strength. I pushed them gratitude as Godric said, "As your maker, I command you not to act predatory around Bill Compton, unless he threatens or attacks you. I command you not to act aggressively towards him, _tonight._ "

He flooded me with mirth and winked at me when my eyes widened. Apparently, Godric was fine with leaving a predatory Sookie alone with Bill Compton during the daylight hours tomorrow. My fangs throbbed at the thought and two of my Louisiana ties were suddenly full of lust and yearning. I guess they would've liked to see that.

"Sookie-"

"No, Eric, I will not wear a camera tomorrow," I said with exasperation.

Godric chuckled and disappointment surged up in Eric's tie. Pam pushed me all of her amusement and poor Jess was confused again. She didn't find bloodshed as appealing as Pam and Eric did. Not when she had just recently drained someone. I wasn't turned on by the idea either, but there was a furious need for vengeance pulsing through my veins. I once asked Godric for justice, asked him why I didn't get any justice for my death. He was trying to provide that for me now, in regards to Bill and the crimes he committed against me, and I caressed him through our bond for it.

"All right, we're turning off the earpieces now. See you all tomorrow night," Godric said to our captive audience. Alcide and I handed him our earpieces and shut off the transmission. I gathered up the techy items I would need tomorrow and put them in my bag before then heading towards the guest room. Alcide would think I had the equipment on me when in reality they would be in my coffin. I'd pop in later to collect them after everyone retreated to their rooms to prepare for day-rest at the compound.

I came back at vamp speed, startling Alcide a little since he kept forgetting I was vampire at all, gave him a genuine smile, and said, "Well, Alcide, it's been entertaining." He laughed and nodded in agreement, "Look us up if you're ever in Bon Temps."

"I will," he said and held out his hand for me to shake. I rolled my eyes and hugged him at vamp speed so he couldn't get away. Alcide was a wolf after all. He laughed and patted my back while I struggled internally with Eric's possessiveness.

I pulled back, muttering, "Calm down, ya big Viking. The hug's over."

Mirth flushed my veins from everyone but Eric and Alcide laughed, long and hard, when he realized I was reacting to Eric's emotions. He turned to Godric to say goodbye once he settled down and shook his hand too. We wouldn't be seeing him again after this, so we said our farewells now. Alcide would pick us up the next day and drop us off at a hotel. We told him about my gift of "staying awake past sunrise" and explained we may need some time before heading back to Jackson if Bill was injured in order for him to feed, so Alcide would return in the late afternoon to pick us up and bring us back to Fangtasia. While that was true, I also hoped to clear up some questions I had for Bill before we headed home.

We slung our overnight bags over our shoulders and slipped out Alcide's front door before vamping our way out into the night, heading in the direction of Russell's property. When the huge plantation-style home came into view, we smoothly transitioned into leisurely walking, bringing down our speed so the guards on the perimeter didn't mistake us for threats.

Even though we most definitely were.

I slid into position to the right and behind Godric, serving as his right hand when my elder siblings weren't present. We leisurely walked up the long, cobblestone driveway and approached Russell's mansion. About halfway up, four vampire guards appeared out of nowhere and flanked us, having used vampire speed to make their approach. Being surrounded automatically put me on edge, which conversely caused my muscles to relax. I could read from their minds that they weren't a threat, just doing their duty and escorting us, so my emotions barely tightened at all. On top of that, I knew without a doubt Godric could take all of them. Not one of them was older than five hundred.

"Your purpose?" one of the guards asked while we walked. I was officially at the bottom of the food chain here, so I kept my lips zipped.

"We wish to speak with the king. Considering residency," Godric replied curtly, not even deigning to glance the guard's way. Being 2,000 years old meant he had to wear a mask at times himself. He was considered leagues above the guards because of his age alone.

The guard nodded respectfully, acknowledging Godric as an ancient, and spoke quietly into an earpiece.

I was delighted to see ours were better.

Any ancient vampire had to report to the monarch of a state if they were looking into residency in an area. Typically, vampires would approach a sheriff and apply for residency and then report to the monarch with a two week time frame to swear fealty, but it was different after a vampire hit the status of ancient. By the time someone reached Godric's age, they were considered too powerful to approach a sheriff. Most of the time sheriffs were not as old as Godric and Eric, so it would go against vampire etiquette to approach someone of lower status for permission to reside in the area. On top of that, every monarch wanted a chance to wine and dine an ancient in hopes of adding them to their retinues.

"Name?" the guard then asked.

"Godric," he stated.

All four guards faltered, almost imperceptibly, before continuing towards the door. I dipped into their minds and wasn't surprised when I read that they had all heard of my maker. They were thinking about his age, the stories they'd heard about him, and were unsettled that they were in the presence of "The Gaul."

Honestly, I was just relieved they weren't referring to him as "Death." Godric hated that nickname.

The, frankly, huge front door swung open as we approached, manned by yet another guard, and we passed through without harassment. We then all came to a stop in the foyer, still maintaining our positions. I had to admit the place was beautiful and the Southern style was gorgeous. The walls were covered in elegant, white panels that had a slightly bluish hue, the floors were done in dark wood, an intricate staircase led up to the second floor on the left, and an antique table with a vase of lilies sat just beyond the entrance on a wide, European looking rug. I definitely liked this house.

It wasn't long before the king's consort joined us, eyeing Godric appreciatively as he approached us. He gave the guards a hand signal and they immediately dispersed, two heading back outside while the others took up position around the rooms. I dipped into the consort's mind as he approached and instantly learned he was not a threat. In fact, he hadn't picked up a sword or a stake in hundreds of years. His name was Talbot and nothing in his mind gave me any inclination to act predatory or for my emotions to tighten. My maker was also much older than him, so I didn't need to feel overly protective.

"Consort," Godric said as he gave Talbot a respectful bow of the head. I followed suit.

Talbot was surprised to be addressed so formally. He smiled brightly at us and murmured, "And I thought nobody had manners anymore." He then spoke louder and said, "Godric, you come to seek audience with the King?"

"My progeny and I do, yes, Consort," Godric said, his hands clasped behind his back,

Talbot's eyes flickered over me briefly, taking in my position and realizing Godric had added to his already powerful bloodline. With amusement, I listened to him think about how disappointing it was Godric's new progeny was female. I couldn't understand his language, but he was clearly feeling disenchantment while picturing us in an embrace. Godric tugged on the bond twice and I connected our minds and began filtering in thoughts. In turn, Godric filtered the translations back to me. We were easily able to do this thanks to the nature of the mind of a vampire.

"Oh, you really must call me Talbot. Both of you," he pouted.

While Godric had been addressing Talbot, I had blanketed the compound with my telepathy. I quickly realized Bill was in fact here with his maker, Lorena, and pushed that to Godric. I could also hear that Bill was listening to this very conversation, recognizing the name of an ancient and realizing it was the same ancient he and I went to Dallas looking for. He was worried about the presence of another ancient, afraid it would make things incredibly more difficult for him. Resentment was also clouding his mind and he was blaming Godric for what happened to me and therefore found Godric responsible for the punishment he suffered by the queen.

Exasperation pulsed in the bond from the both of us as Bill's thoughts filtered in.

I tuned back into the conversation happening right in front of me when Talbot took a step towards me. He ran his eyes over me again, appraising me and was genuinely surprised by how comfortable I appeared to be and how well-behaved I was for a newborn, and asked, "And you, young one? What is your name?"

"Sookie Stackhouse, Talbot. I'm delighted to meet you. Your home is just beautiful," I said, using a heavy Southern drawl and flashing him a smile. He was delighted with my manners and the way I complimented his home and about to say something when everything went horribly wrong.

Bill shot towards us faster than canon at the mention of my name, quickly followed by his maker, through the door on the wall opposite the one we just came through. Both of them came to a stop next to Talbot and just stared at us, one with a look of shock and the other with nothing but pure malice.

What the hell did I ever do to her?

"Sookeh?" Bill asked, voice laced with disbelief.

"Beehl?" I drawled with the same tone, bringing my eyes back to resting on my ex and wearing the picture of absolute surprise on my face.

If he was gonna massacre my name, I'd return the favor.

Amusement and mirth immediately flooded my veins from my Louisiana connections and Godric had to stifle an urge to laugh out loud. I wasn't the only one who noticed the butchering of my name and they thought it was funny as hell that I gave him a dose of his own medicine. Unfortunately, I couldn't treat Bill to a meeting with Vampire Sookie yet (but they did have a later appointment) and it seemed Fairy Sookie was going to take full advantage of Godric's command and spread a little mischief.

Before I could even begin to start making trouble, Lorena's fangs dropped and she tensed to move towards me. Godric had her slammed against the wall by her throat before my own fangs could even drop and lazily stated, "You are an old one, I can tell, but you are not nearly as old as I am. Attempt to challenge my progeny again and you will not live long enough to take a step in her direction. Now, retract your fangs."

Lorena's hands immediately flew to her throat and she, quite foolishly, tried to pry his hand away, like she could actually force an ancient to release her. She looked around the room in panic before her eyes settled on me for a brief second. Not even the least bit intimidated, I just raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say, "Well?"


	28. Chapter 28: The King and I

_**A/N**_ _:_

 _*Ducks flying toothpicks and silver coins*_

 _Yeah, I know, that last chapter really wasn't very nice of me. I'm sorry about that cliffhanger, though I love reading your reviews when you guys try and guess what'll happen next. It's entertaining as all get out._

 _Here's the next chapter- another short one. I'm trying to get 'em out faster to you all, so they're not as long as the chapters I've previously posted._

 _You guys leave me speechless. I can't believe it! I now have over 100 reviews and 100 followers! THANK YOU ALL!_

 _You all should really get some sleep though. So many of my reviews have talked about how you've read this all in one day, staying up until 5 a.m. to finish it. Please pace yourselves, I don't want you all dying from exhaustion._

 _That would mean less readers for me and I can't have_ _ **that**_ _._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own True blood or the Southern Vampire Mysteries. Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO own everything. I just like making their characters' fangs drop at the same time by pressing the trigger on my remote control and watching how they then react._

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"Yes, Lorena. Retract your fangs," a smooth, Southern voice said with such a pleasant tone that one would think we were all out for a Sunday drive. I glanced upwards to see none other than Russell Edgington himself coming down the staircase.

Having been ordered by her sovereign, Lorena immediately retracted her fangs and Godric reluctantly set her back on her feet, still pissed. She took a wary step away from my maker, who flooded me with enough exasperation for my lips to twitch. Godric gave her a warning look that made her flinch as he passed her on the way back to my side and took up his previous position. We both then trained our eyes on Russell.

With every step he took towards the first landing, towards us, my emotions tightened and shrank. Godric commanded me not to act aggressively or predatory around Bill, so as long Bill was here, I wouldn't give into my more predatory desires, like kicking both their asses. Unfortunately, that didn't keep me from reacting emotionally, just from being outwardly aggressive. Vampire Sookie didn't like that Russell was in the room, could sense the power coming off him, and wanted control. My fairy nature surged up too, wanting to protect Godric and angry on behalf of Eric.

Every emotion I had disappeared except for anger, protectiveness, possessiveness, and caution. I wasn't afraid, but I knew I had to proceed carefully if we were going to make it back out of here with Bill and neither of my natures was happy with the idea that anything could happen to Godric, hence the caution. Both the vampire and the fairy were in agreement at the moment and they had decided I should tread lightly around Russell.

My bloodline, including Jess, reacted to the way my tie felt immediately. They start streaming me a steady and continuous amount of reassurance, strength, security, and affection, which slowly brought my other emotions back out. They were incredibly smaller, more compact than normal, and not what my natures _wanted_ me to feel, but they were there and helped me react normally, bringing less attention to myself. My movements were still a little languid, which of course caught Russell's eye, but I wasn't coming across as predatory, just completely at ease.

Godric and I both bowed as Russell hit the last step. He gave us a nod of acknowledgment before moving closer to Talbot, passing a still gaping and frozen Bill by the stairs as he walked. Russell wrapped an arm around his consort and progeny's waist while he tsked Lorena, scolding her for her behavior, and said, "You owe Godric an apology, Lorena. We welcome him and his progeny to this court."

A look of disbelief flickered across her face before she lowered her eyes and bit out, "Yes, your majesty. I apologize, Godric."

"She owes my progeny one as well. Sookie did nothing to warrant an attack. They do not even know each other, your majesty," Godric said, talking over Lorena, speaking like she wasn't even in the room. He was furious that anyone would attack me, let alone someone I had never even met.

And he wasn't the only one. Three people back in Louisiana were positively seething at the moment. I caressed my ties with them and they relaxed. They had me tempted to purr when they responded to my caresses by sending me back gentle waves of affection.

"You attempted to challenge her without provocation?" Russell hissed at Lorena, who dropped her eyes again. If Lorena had managed to attack me without just cause, it would've been considered a blood offense and, as my maker, Godric would've been entitled to Lorena's death.

Russell was thrilled Godric and I were here. His mind was going off in twenty different directions about how he could utilize Godric and what he could do for his retinue. He was also intrigued with me and wondering how he could put me to use, whether I was still telepathic, and if he could use me somewhere else if I wasn't. He didn't know why Lorena and Bill were reacting the way they were, but he had noticed how I felt about their reactions.

I couldn't give a shit. That's how I felt.

The fact that I was so calm surprised Russell and, like Eric, he wasn't often surprised. Russell could tell from my glow I was only a month old, but I hadn't so much as tensed when Lorena made a move towards me. I hadn't reacted like a normal newborn and he'd never seen anything like it before. Not only that, but Talbot was over 700 years old, Lorena was over 500, and Bill was over 200, yet none of their ages seemed to intimidate me. Apparently, Russell had been watching us from the second floor for a moment before he joined us. When he saw how comfortable I seemed to be, it had piqued his interest and, out of curiosity, he had analyzed my posture and movements as he came down the stairs. He noticed how I had loosened up even more when he approached and how completely relaxed I became in the presence of one of the world's oldest vampires, which surprised him even more. Now he was completely enthralled.

"She provokes me by existing," Lorena snarled.

Well, gosh. Tell us how you really feel.

"And you provoke me," Godric said in a dark tone, dropping the level of his voice so it was frostier than the polar ice caps. Lorena flinched again at the sound of it.

"Lorena," Russell said with exaggerated slowness, drawing out her name, "you will apologize. Now."

Her fists clenched for a couple seconds before she physically forced herself to relax her muscles and patted down her dress, smoothing out the wrinkles caused by being slammed against the wall. She kept her eyes on her clothing, acting as though I was so beneath her that I wasn't worthy of eye contact when she spoke and said, "I apologize, I do not know what came over me."

Stupidity, maybe?

"Wonderful! Now that's finally all taken care of," Russell said and clapped his hands together. He then turned his attention back to me and ran his eyes over me inquisitively; taking in my position in relation to Godric and how my gaze had yet to leave him since he walked down the stairs. The predator in me wouldn't let me look away while I was being evaluated by someone so old and powerful.

The handclap seemed to snap Bill out of whatever daze he was in and he realized I had yet to look away from Russell too, that I hadn't spared him a glance since Russell spoke.

And it pissed him off.

For months, Bill had worked on me, drowned me in his blood and emotions, and done everything he could to make sure he was the focus of my life. He had relished that attention, I could read it from his mind, and now that he knew I hadn't been ended in the Fellowship, he wanted that attention back. He wanted to be the center of my world again.

And because he wanted it so badly, he talked himself into believing he still was. He forced himself to believe I was here to rescue him; that I must've talked my maker into tracking Bill down because I was so desperately in love with him and the two of us came here tonight in order to try and free him. Operating on that seriously delusional notion, he started thinking about how to get me out of here and far away from Russell Edgington. He instantly realized it wasn't safe for me to be around Russell and things were about to go badly very quickly.

Because Russell knew I was a telepath.

At least he knew I was one when I was alive. He couldn't be so sure now.

And how did Russell know?

Bill Compton, the idiot, told him.

So, yes, there was a place for Bill in my world, but it wasn't at the center.

It was six feet beneath my feet.

His mind started furiously racing through his options and he realized that the way Russell and I were studying each other did not bode well for him. Russell was showing an interest in me and that would mean problems for him, had, in fact, been a problem once already when Russell drilled him about me when he first got to Mississippi. In Bill's mind, I was still the naïve little waitress from Bon Temps, not the progeny of an ancient vampire, and suddenly it was all up to him to save me. Only he could save me.

While trying to fool himself into believing all of this, there was also a more insidious thought process operating underneath it all. On another level separate from his Messiah-complex, Bill knew I wasn't in love with him, but he honestly thought that he could still manipulate me if he had the chance, still find a way to shift my focus back to him and entrap me all over again. Playing hero was the most basic way he knew how, so he settled on that plan. The problem with that was, if Russell became invested in me, and it was starting to look like he would, Bill knew he'd never again have that opportunity. He had to get me away from Russell, had to get me out of here, and that's where his thoughts got stuck, repeating over and over in dizzy and furious cycle. All he could think about was getting me away from here.

"Godric!" Russell crowed, his face mirroring his glee. "It has been at least a thousand years since we last met. I see you've-"

He never got the chance to finish that sentence because Bill, _my hero_ , reached out and tore a piece of wood free from the banister, staked the guard standing between us, and threw himself up on top of Russell, sitting on his shoulders like a toddler would sit on his father's at a city parade.

The completely innocent vampire guard burst into a puddle of blood, guts, and goo, while Bill raised the stake above his head, shouting, "Sookeh! RUN!"

My fangs slammed down at the scent of blood, which the maker command allowed since I hadn't done it aggressively. Thankfully, the command did keep me from spiraling into bloodlust though, which made me so unbelievably grateful that I had asked Godric to issue it. Godric immediately tensed and I languidly arched my back while we both pushed nothing but pure exasperation into the bond. Simultaneously, Eric pushed me disbelief and incredulity, Jess pushed me frustration and an emotional eye-roll that had my lips twitching, and Pam wrapped me up in amusement and mirth for Bill's idiotic heroics.

Every single one of those emotions scattered into nothing but static when Russell simply shrugged his shoulders, flinging Bill upwards and off him at a speed too fast for any of us to follow. Even Godric couldn't follow his movements, making it painfully clear ending Russell was going to be one mother trucker of a fight. Bill flew up into the air, rebounded off the ceiling, and landed face-down on the staircase, quickly followed by a shower of chunks of plaster and debris.

Talk about face-planting. His face probably hurt like hell.

It certainly hurt me every time I looked at it.

"Are you _serious_?!" Russell exclaimed and cackled like a maniac. "I'm nearly _3,000_ years old!"

 _Seriously_ an idiot…

Godric and I couldn't have prevented Bill's attempt on Russell's life. Yes, we were listening to his thoughts and we were both very aware of how he felt he needed to get me away from Russell and off the compound, but neither of us realized he meant _that very moment_. We figured he'd act like every other sane vampire and bide his time. He didn't even think about what he was doing, he snapped and did it all on instinct. Not a single thought about it entered his mind so there was no way we could've known what he had planned to do.

And that made _us_ idiotic for assuming Bill would act like a sane vampire.

The room fell into complete silence, aside from Russell's creepy cackling, and poor Talbot just looked stunned. His thoughts were racing about all the damage his beautiful home had undergone since Bill Compton walked into it and he actually felt grief for what his home had suffered at Bill's hands. I knew that my best bet of getting on the king's good side was through Talbot so I made a sad, disappointed face as I looked at the indent in the ceiling, the damage to the stairs, and finally the blood puddle on the rug.

"Why'd you do that, Bill?" I chided and tutted before sadly sighing out, "You ruined such a _beautiful_ rug, too. Did you pick it out, Talbot?"

Godric's mirth shot up and his lips twitched, which thankfully went unnoticed since Talbot was staring at me like I was a cool drink of water in the desert, wondering if he really had found someone else as interested in decorating as he was. Bill just looked at me incredulously as two guards surrounded him, lifting him up from his prone position on the stairs, before pleading, "You have to get out of here, Sookeh!" He turned to Godric next and begged, "Please! Get her out of here!"

"Get her out of here?" Godric repeated, lacing his voice with utter confusion while pushing me amusement.

I mimicked Godric's expression, probably enjoying myself a little too much, and asked, "Why would we wanna get out of here, Bill? Master wanted me to meet his majesty. We were thinkin' about movin' to Mississippi."

He looked back and forth between us, completely bewildered himself and full of disbelief, while Russell cackled in delight and purred, " _Really?_ Godric, is this true?"

"It is, your majesty. I've been training Sookie in the way of old and we've been making our way here for the last month. We just came from Louisiana, where I informed my eldest progeny, Eric Northman," Bill pathetically growled at this and every one of us rolled our eyes, "we wouldn't be staying in his area. It appears his queen, Sophie-Anne, had it out for Sookie in her mortal life. I'm afraid she wouldn't be safe there," Godric stated, sorely tempted to laugh at Bill's expression when he mentioned the queen. If vampires could, I was sure Bill would've shit himself. "So we are looking at obtaining residency in other states. We've come to humbly beg permission for a customary day of rest, your highness, while we look into the area. If acceptable, we'll move to a hotel during the day tomorrow when my dayman arrives."

"So old world, I love it," Talbot murmured. He was absolutely furious with Russell, who didn't give a shit about the damage to the room, but my comment had distracted him and he had calmed himself down in order to find out more about me.

Russell looked between the two of us excitedly before throwing his hands up in the air and dramatically shouting, " _Fantastic_!"

Russell's thoughts moved a little faster than any other's I had come across and he had even more thought processes than Godric moving around all at once. Right now, there were three things that he was thinking about predominantly; adding such a powerful vampire like Godric to his retinue, wondering if there was a way to use our dislike of Sophie-Anne against her, and whether or not I was still telepathic.

He wasn't really surprised we were here or that we were looking for residency in another state, he'd sent a vampire out to Bon Temps gather some information on me. That vampire had reported back that Godric and I were on our way to Mississippi and that the queen had tried to procure me for my telepathy while I was alive. He wasn't surprised at all, he was ecstatic.

I guess Russell tried to use me against Bill at one point and Bill told him I was dead. Russell then moved on to bribing him into joining his retinue. Seeing no harm in revealing my telepathic secret since I was no longer among the living, Bill told Russell about it hoping it would portray him as honest and eager to please. Russell didn't believe Bill when he said I was dead and sent out a wolf out to Bon Temps, who came back empty-handed since I hadn't returned to the farmhouse yet. He then sent a crazy-ass vampire to confirm it. Unfortunately, we had returned by then and it seemed this vampire, Franklin, found out I was undead and on the way here. He told Russell just before we arrived.

We could still use that to our advantage. Godric said we came from Louisiana, so it would make sense Franklin told him we were on our way to Mississippi.

I replayed the thoughts and info I gathered to Godric as I listened, I had to so he could translate for me. He agreed with me and sent, _If he asks, we'll just say we went to Bon Temps for a final goodbye._

"I hereby grant a day of rest, Godric, for you and your progeny, Miss?" Russell asked, playing dumb.

"Her name is Sookie Stackhouse, your majesty," Godric answered for me.

"Well, you don't say," Russell grinned and shot a disappointed look at Bill, who looked even more panicked, "I would be delighted if you would join us tonight, Godric, Miss Stackhouse," Russell said with a nod and we answered with a bow.

"What are you going to do with our Mr. Compton," Lorena questioned in a quivering voice, "if I may ask?" We all shifted our attention to her.

"Oh, yes," Russell said with disdain. He then turned to Talbot and said, "Guess who turned out to be _completely_ unworthy of our trust? He even lied about our Miss Stackhouse!"

"No!" Talbot mock gasped.

"I did not!" Bill refuted. "I felt her die in Dallas, your majesty, I was not aware she had been turned. Lorena was with me when I felt it." Lorena nodded in support of her progeny, but Russell just waved his hand in dismissal. I didn't know why Bill would even bother arguing, he was going to be put to death for attacking the king no matter what anyways.

As if getting him out of here wouldn't be difficult enough…

"I'm afraid he's right, your majesty," Godric interjected, drawing attention back to us. "Sookie died in Dallas, at the Fellowship. I turned her there and I kept her isolated so I could help her reign in her bloodlust. We started training soon after. Nobody knew Sookie had been turned until a couple of days ago."

A tiny falsehood. I never had problems with my bloodlust, but Russell didn't need to know the real reason why we kept my turning so quiet.

"It matters not," Russell said with a sigh. "He killed a guard and tried to kill his king," he said and turned to the guards. "Marco, Klaus! Take him to the slave quarters."

The guards began pushing Bill out of the room. He fought against them and watched me the entire way, walking backwards just to give me sad, pitiful, puppy dog eyes.

"There, my dear, you will kill him," Russell continued nonchalantly, addressing Lorena.

"But-"

" _Do not defy me! I am your king!"_ he roared at her. Godric lifted an eyebrow at me and I nodded. It had just become very obvious it would be extremely difficult to get Russell to release Bill to us.

For a brief second, I thought Lorena would actually cry. Her eyes shifted around the room, breaking Russell's gaze and showing submission and she softly said, "Your majesty."

I actually felt bad for Lorena. She loved Bill in her own sadistic way. I could read from her thoughts how much she pined after him and now she'd have to put him to death.

At least I felt bad until I caught the murderous thought process going off in the background about how much she hated _me_ because of how affected Bill _appeared_ to be by my death. Seriously, though? She could have him. Bill was all hers.

I had myself a Viking at home.

I wasn't worried about his death happening soon though, I could read from her thoughts that she planned to take her sweet ass time about it and planned to prolong it past the sunrise.

That worked just fine for me.

"Well, then, let's get your things up to a guest suite," Russell said and waved his hand at another guard who vamped closer and pulled my bag from my shoulder before snagging Godric's. It was definitely a good idea to leave the spy gear at Alcide's. Our things were about to be searched. "Let's adjourn to the library."

Talbot pushed forward with this and smoothly laced his arm through mine, linking us together as he turned a pleading face towards Russell and said, "Darling, I'd like to get to know our Sookie better. I'm going to give her a small tour of our home first, if that's okay?" He threw in a bat of his lashes for good measure.

Russell looked between us with a calculating eye as he quickly thought about the situation. He could feel from their bond how upset Talbot was and this would be a good distraction, but he wanted to drill me and find out if I could still hear thoughts. It then occurred to him that he could question Godric separately and find out if our answers matched when Talbot brought me back. Finally, he gave us a nod and Talbot whisked me off, leaving Godric, who was chuckling at the fact that Russell's royal consort had been so taken with me after one well-placed comment, with Russell.

Normally, I'd agree with Russell about his plan to catch us off guard, but my range was stronger now that I was vampire. I didn't need to be in the room with Godric to hear his thoughts and, honestly, it was likely I didn't need to be close by to keep our minds connected either. With the benefits of having a vampiric mind, I could think more than thirty different things at once, so Godric could continue to translate for me as I dug through minds on the tour too.

And a tour would be excellent. I'd know my way around the next day, so Godric didn't fight it when Talbot dragged me away.

"Sookie, darling, you liked the rug in the foyer?" Talbot asked curiously, wanting to know if I was being genuine or facetious when I scolded Bill.

I nodded vehemently while I dug through his thoughts and said, "I did, Talbot. Was it an import? It reminded me of Greece."

He squeezed my arm and gave me a delighted smile and commented, "You have a wonderful eye, darling. It was indeed, it came from my homeland about 300 years ago, a gift in memory of my turning."

I had an excellent mental eye. I didn't know shit about decorating.

"Have you and the king been together that long?" I asked feigning astonishment. I'd already read everything I needed to know about Talbot and Russell's relationship.

"It's been nearly 700 years. Sometimes it feels like seven million," he said glumly. His thoughts began to race as he considered the state of their relationship, revealing his wandering eye to me. Talbot was intrigued by Godric, hoping he might get a moment alone with him later. He was even more intrigued about Eric though, having heard of his good looks and that he was a talented lover. His mind stayed focused on that for a second and he decided to entertain himself by finding out all he could about Eric, which had me feeling mighty possessive. My entire bloodline was confused by the sudden proprietary rush. They then swamped me in mirth and understanding when Talbot asked, "Did I hear Godric say the Viking is your blood brother, Sookie?"

With reluctance, since I had an idea where this was going, I nodded. We were nearing the dining area as Talbot gave me a smile full of mischief and leaned in to quietly ask, "Is it true? That he's a great lover?"

Godric, Pam, and Jessica all erupted with mirth in the ties, being very aware of everything that was happening with me since I was connected to Godric and wearing a video camera, and Eric pushed me a mountain of curiosity mixed in with his amusement. I knew without a doubt he was hanging on every word back at Fangtasia.

In a case of bittersweet luck, I didn't get a chance to answer. We walked into the dining room at that moment and I nearly tripped over my own feet in surprise.

Tara.

My best friend was tied up and sitting in a chair at the table with a ridiculous bowl of flowers sitting before her like she was supposed to eat it. All of my connections immediately filled with alarm and Godric mentally pushed, _As your maker_ , _I command you, Sookie. Do nothing to put this mission at risk because of Tara. I command you to leave Tara here. You will help her during the day, but not now. Push your thoughts to her and explain why you must not help her._

"Sookie!" Tara shrieked, "Help me! Help me, please!"

I was incredibly grateful for Godric's command in that moment because hearing her beg made an overwhelming urge to protect my kin well up inside me, an urge that would've normally made my fangs drop, but that would've definitely put our mission at risk.

I quickly pushed into her mind and sent _Tara, pretend you can't hear me. I can transmit thoughts, it has to do with my day-walking ability._ I added the day-walking in to make sure knowing I could reach her mentally would be information tucked inside the protective block. _I can't help you right now, but I will come for you during the day. Blink twice if you understand._

While she blinked at me, Talbot turned to me and asked, "You know her? Franklin's pet?"

"I do," I said casually. "She's just a remnant of my mortal life. What's she doin' here?"

" _What's wrong with you_ , Sookie?" Tara asked hysterically, nearly convincing me with the tone of her voice that she was really pissed at me. Thankfully, her inner voice was quickly summarizing everything she told Franklin and how he kidnapped her, including what I told her about Hadley and Bill. I pushed another thought to her to tell her I understood and reassure her that I'd come for her after the sun rose.

"Come, Sookie, darling. I think you'd find our collection fascinating, we'll leave Franklin to deal with _that_ ," he said dismissively and muttered something about how Tara clashed with his décor while guiding me out of the room.

"Sookie! _Sookie_ , help me! _Please_!" Tara yelled after me and, God help me, I laughed. I reassured her as I did and she understood, but it was still one of the hardest and most painful things I'd ever had to do. My bloodline flooded me with strength and they all reached for me through the ties, placing a comforting mental hand on me as I walked away laughing from a terrified friend who had been kidnapped by a psychotic vampire.

For that alone, Franklin wouldn't live to see another sunset.


	29. Chapter 29: Battle Royale

_**A/N**_ _:_

 _Oh no she didn't! Oh yes, I did! If you remember way back to those first few chapters, Sookie did say she would kill to protect her family and to to protect what's hers, so she will kill Franklin if she finds the opportunity._

 _So, who didn't think they'd be seeing an update today? I know, it's much later than I normally post. I started feeling sick late last night and I didn't even wake up until 7 pm tonight, but I finished up my chapter and edited it as quickly as I could. I can't promise you'll get an update_ _ **every**_ _day, but I do promise to try._

 _Sookie, Godric, and Russell are about to have a sit-down and duke it with words. Next chapter things will pick up the pace again and Sookie will strap on her spy gear._

 _Anyone wonder what Russell's goal was when he killed off the Magister and married Sophie-Anne? True Blood never really went in and explained why he killed the Magister, so we're about to learn what Russell was attempting to accomplish with his takeover and why he didn't give a shit about the Magister's death. Dun, dun, dunnn..._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: Charlaine Harris, HBO, and Alan Ball own True Blood and SVM. I own nothing. I just unraveled their plots and weaved my own blanket. Now I use it when I snuggle up with the Viking by the fire._

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While my bloodline did it's best to patch me up like ringside trainers at a boxing match, Talbot showed off his wealth and taste. In doing so, he gave me a detailed map of everywhere I needed to go the next day, including Russell's personal study. I made mental notes of all the electronic devices in the rooms as we walked and kept an eye out for video cameras. Luckily, I hadn't seen any cameras after we entered. I guess Russell figured only an idiot would attempt something in the house of a 3,000 year old vampire.

Maybe I'd get it tattooed on my face later.

I'm sure doing that would be less idiotic.

When we entered the trophy room, and honestly it was truly a _trophy_ room since Russell was just a 3,000 year old serial killer, a deep sense of foreboding swelled within me. Anxiety and unease swept across my connections and they flooded me with curiosity and alarm, asking me if everything was okay. I sent them all a push of reassurance telling them not to worry, but my ties were still thick and heavy with apprehension while Talbot showed me around the room and pointed out all their nifty little antiques. It suddenly all made sense when Talbot brought me to the display case and pulled out a scroll of vampire erotica he wanted to show me. I caught sight of the Viking crown Russell stole from Eric's father, which was sitting on display inside, at the same time the camera did and Eric's white, hot fury smacked into me violently, making me growl and drop my fangs.

 _Oh shit_.

Talbot froze and looked up at me in surprise, not quite believing a month old baby vampire dared to drop her fangs unprovoked in the presence of one who was 700 years old, and asked me in a bewildered tone, "Sookie?"

All of my ties pulsed with worry, anxiety, panic, and concern when they realized I had just dropped fang aggressively in front of the king's consort because of Eric's rage. Thankfully, Eric was desperately working to reign in his anger with the help of Pam and Godric, who were frantically reaching into their bonds and absorbing the emotion. With that help, I was able to retract my fangs.

How the hell was I supposed to explain myself now?

Thinking on my feet, I threw Talbot for a loop when I randomly started laughing with delight. Very slowly, to show him I wasn't a threat, I reached out and took the scroll from him, glanced down, and lied my ass off when I sheepishly admitted, "I'm so sorry, Talbot. I'm still a newborn and I just couldn't control all my urges when I imagined usin' this with a certain Viking."

Mirth went off like an atomic bomb when everyone heard my excuse, making me laugh so hard I leaked a blood tear. Eric's rage promptly disappeared as his amusement, glee, and lust skyrocketed and he pushed me friskiness laced with mischief. I smacked the back of his head harder than I ever had before as Talbot's eyebrows shot to the ceiling and he joined me in laughter.

" _Really_ , Sookie?" he purred. "It's true then? The Viking's a good lover?"

I guess I backed myself into a corner with that one. Well, technically, Eric backed me into the corner.

I would've preferred it much more if this particular corner was dark and we were alone.

I nodded while blushing in the tie, thereby prolonging and doubling everyone's amusement. I sent them all a push that said they'd really enjoy wearing garlic lotion and reached into my jacket pocket for my cell phone. I flipped it open and chuckled again before asking, "Mind if I take a picture? I'm sure Eric would get a kick out of it."

Talbot laughed with pleasure and nodded, he even held it up for me. I snapped a quick photo and sent off a text at vamp speed. I didn't send it to Eric though, I sent it to Pam. Her mirth erupted all over again, quickly echoed by Eric and Jess, when she read the message:

 _Add this to the scrapbook._

Apparently my faux pas was all the encouragement Talbot needed to open up to me like I was his best girlfriend. By the time we made it back to the library, he had told me all the gossip of court and was begging me for details about my sex life. We walked into the room giggling and smiling like teenager schoolgirls, making Godric's lips twitch and Russell stare at me in astonishment. I picked up from Russell's thoughts that Talbot had been getting more depressed and antsy for the last decade or so and Russell was beyond frustrated with him. He truly loved Talbot, but after 700 years, they were starting to piss each other off and Russell had been purposefully leaving Talbot at home while he went out to see to other things. Russell hadn't seen Talbot so genuinely taken with someone in years, not in terms of friendship at least and it was increasingly rare for it to be a female.

Did that make me Talbot's best girlfriend, after all?

"Dear heart, it's truly been a pleasure," Talbot said as he pressed a kiss to my cheek and gave me a warm smile, "I hope your maker does move to our state." He then turned to Russell and gave him a quelling look while he ordered, in a tone pretending to be a suggestion, "Darling, you really should offer Godric the sheriff's position as incentive. Mr. Compton won't be taking it."

Godric had to seriously force himself to tamp down on his amusement while everyone else shot me up with their incredulity. The king's consort was so taken with me that the monarch was being forced to offer my maker a very high position just so Talbot could have me close by.

It really was too funny.

"What a wonderful suggestion, Talbot," Russell said to placate him and cocked an eyebrow at Godric.

Talbot smiled beautifully, brushed my cheek with another kiss, and vamped away. I gave the king another bow of my head and he smiled at me and indicated the space next to Godric on the sofa with a welcoming hand. I gave him a grateful smile and sat down next to Godric, feeling a hundred times safer when my maker slipped his arm over my shoulder. The closer Talbot and I had gotten to Godric and Russell, the more my emotions had tightened. They hadn't completely disappeared, but at this point, I was feigning my emotional responses more than truly feeling them, with the exception of protectiveness, which had grown with every step we took in contrast to everything else. My fairy nature was screaming at me to protect my kin, completely uncomfortable with having my maker near the 3,000 year old predator responsible for massacring Eric's family.

"Talbot appears quite taken with you, Miss Stackhouse," Russell commented while he stood up to light a fire.

"I feel likewise, your majesty. Talbot is a warm spirit and I enjoyed speakin' with him," I replied. I was really tempted to make a comment about lighting a fire when it was so warm out, but being a baby vampire put me at the bottom of the totem pole and that could be overstepping. Russell seemed a little off kilter and prone to emotional outbursts. I certainly didn't want to set him off.

When he took a poker to it though, I couldn't stop myself from sighing wistfully and saying, "That's one thing I do miss about being human," Russell quirked an eyebrow out me so I continued, "roasting marshmallows and making s'mores by the fire." I then purred, " _Always were delicious."_

Neither Godric nor Russell had ever had a s'more, but my comment still sent them back to their human days and they both thumbed through a few memories out by a campfire while they cooked something over it. In a move that made my lips kick up, they both scented the air as if they could smell the food being cooked tonight right here in the library.

Russell pulled himself out of the memory and eyed me curiously. He was surprised by me, thrown off by my demeanor, and had expected me to fall to pieces about Bill's death sentence. He had lit a fire deliberately as an intimidation tactic and instead I had him reminiscing about his human days. Russell didn't know what to make of me.

He decided to abandon his intimidation tactic and put the poker away without burning himself like he previously planned, enjoying my natural reactions too much and too intrigued by my current behavior to mess with me. Instead he wanted to see how I would react if we continued on this course.

"I always enjoyed a good fire, always made things seem a little more dramatic," he said as he walked over to a wine rack tucked in the corner of the room. Having heard his change of mind, Godric and I pushed each other amusement while Russell quickly scanned the wine bottles. He picked one up, read the label, and turned back to me and asked, "S'mores are chocolate and marshmallows, yes, Miss Stackhouse?"

I nodded and slowly answered, "And graham crackers, your majesty."

He pulled out three glasses and popped the cork on the bottle before he poured a healthy measure of blood into each as he explained, "Talbot enjoys it when his donors feed on nothing but one food for several weeks. We find the blood often holds a hint of the former food. This one happens to be Talbot's own version of s'mores, minus the graham crackers."

As the scent of the blood hit my nose, my fangs dropped. My eyes zeroed in on the glasses and I licked my lips. Godric and I hadn't had time to go out hunting tonight before the pack initiation, so we had filled ourselves with True Blood.

This was definitely more appetizing.

I didn't even notice who passed me the glass and I drained it with a moan. I was still adjusting to my human blood cravings, so any human blood was delicious to me. If I actually took a step back and analyzed the taste, I probably would've said it tasted like I was drinking from a diabetic, but I didn't taste any hint of the actual food's flavor in it.

It'd been 700 years since Talbot ate human food. Methinks he may have forgotten what it tasted like.

"You're not what I expected, Miss Stackhouse," Russell said contemplatively, drawing my gaze from the cup to him.

"What did you expect, your majesty?" Godric asked as he squeezed my shoulder.

"I guess," Russell paused and shot us a smile as he explained, "more _human_. Most newborns still have trouble realizing they'll never sit by the campfire roasting marshmallows again, but you… You seem to be fully immersed in the mindset of a vampire. You act much older than you are, more controlled. I expected you to be weepy over losing your dear, noble Mr. Compton. I expected you to try to reason with me and beg for his life. You haven't said a word about him."

"With all due respect, your majesty, why would I care? I have no genuine feelings for him. He drowned me in his blood to get me to comply, tryin' to addict me to him so he could train me to be the perfect little pet for his childish queen. He wanted to bind me to him with blood without my consent. Now? I could care less what happens to _dear, noble Mr. Compton_ ," I said in a dark, predatory tone.

And he definitely wasn't _mine_.

I could almost feel the thrill that shot through Russell when he heard my voice and absorbed my words.

"The only thing I am concerned with," I continued casually, "is that you're about to kill a man wanted by the Magister for the desecration of the sacred blood."

"What?" Russell asked with a start.

"It's true, your majesty," Godric confirmed while winding gratitude around the bond in thanks for putting us back on track. "The Magister stopped by my eldest progeny's club while we were in his area. He's currently looking for Bill Compton and plans to make an example of him."

"But Compton told me the queen was the one selling vampire blood. In fact," he said with a devilish smile, "he even suggested it was your progeny selling the blood for her."

I scoffed and Russell turned to look at me, so I purred out, " _What a clever tactic to shift the blame_. Compton was usin' _his own blood_ , your majesty. The lab confirmed it with a DNA test. Compton never liked Eric, hated him, in fact. Why not blame the man he hates? If he said it was the queen at fault, I could see that bein' very true. Compton excels at manipulatin' the truth _just enough_ to shift scrutiny off himself. I know this from experience."

I may have even used his tactic just then, adjusting the truth just enough to shift the blame off Eric.

Russell didn't like hearing this. He had planned on using the information Bill had given him about the V to entrap Sophie-Anne and blackmail her into marrying him. If Bill was actually the one selling vampire blood, then Russell couldn't trust anything Bill had told him. It pissed him off thinking a vampire so young may have pulled the wool over his eyes and he didn't want to believe someone like Bill would even _try_ to manipulate someone as old and powerful as he was. Unfortunately for Russell, Bill had proved himself untrustworthy when he attempted to stake his monarch.

"What did the Norseman do to garner that much hate?" Russell skeptically asked.

Godric turned to me, knowing exactly what it was but leaving the decision on whether or not to disclose it up to me since Eric was currently listening in on our conversation.

I sighed and answered him truthfully, "It wasn't what Eric did, your majesty. It was what I did."

Eric startled internally at my words and, from the intense curiosity coming from my ties in Louisiana, I could almost see all three of them leaning in closer to the screen inside Fangtasia.

Russell's eyebrows shot up and he gave me a look as if to say, "Well?"

"I was drawn to Eric from the first moment I saw him," I began slowly, using my calmest, most matter-of-fact voice. "Even when Bill drowned me in blood and fooled me into thinkin' we were in love, Bill couldn't control my emotions when I was around Eric. He tried to suppress the levels of lust and affection growin' in my blood but couldn't _completely_. The more he tried," I shrugged, "the less it worked. When I was later wounded, he drowned me in even more blood, nearly overcooked me, flooded me with hate and disgust whenever I was near Eric, and yet he still couldn't stifle that pull entirely. I still volunteered my help and went to Dallas to find master when Eric asked," I admitted reluctantly. Our bond filled with pride and affection for being honest about something so sensitive in order to protect Eric, to remove him from the spotlight. I then chuckled ruefully and added, winking at the end, "Though I may have gotten a friend released and $10,000 out of it. Eric didn't need to know I would've done it anyways."

Thrilled I had manipulated an ancient vampire sheriff, Russell laughed gleefully before thinking about it harder in an attempt to understand. Finally, he hummed and speculated, "Mr. Compton became addicted to you. Frustrated because the more he felt for you, the more you felt for the Norseman."

"That would be my guess," I murmured. It was my fault Bill hated him so much, my fault he turned Eric in for the blood. As soon as that guilt surfaced though, Godric snatched it away and sent me an admonishment, chiding me for even thinking it. I pushed him genuine affection and focused my blood on his cheek while I sent a kiss through the tie, his lips twitched when he felt it.

"You realized this when you rose vampire? That Mr. Compton was suppressing your attraction to the Norseman?" Russell asked curiously. I nodded and he added, "You must've been extremely confused when those emotions came rushing back."

"I was. At first I didn't trust the new feelings I had and didn't understand where they were comin' from. Then I went through and analyzed my own memories and I realized they weren't _new_ at all. Compton was actively forcin' negative emotions on me every time we were around Eric, I just hadn't realized it because he lied to me about the effects of the blood," I said quietly and sighed. Godric tucked me closer to him and enforced our bond with support and fatherly love.

I checked in on my ties and found some interesting reactions. Jessica was surprised but felt both sorrow and relief. If I had to guess, I would say she was relieved I had no genuine feelings for Bill after what he did. Either that, or she was relieved the blood couldn't drown my true emotions totally. Pam's reaction completely threw me. At the moment, she was feeling incredibly tender and affectionate. When she felt me checking in on her, she pushed that tenderness towards me and cloaked me in it. I had to bite my cheek to keep from purring and I stroked her in gratitude for how she felt. Somehow, I wasn't surprised when I got to Eric though. For the third time in four nights, he felt nothing but static.

I didn't reach out to soothe away his jumbled emotions this time. I felt too much trepidation over his reaction to do that. I also felt embarrassed, insecure, and remorseful. It was very similar to the way I felt when he told me he would never get used to feeling my affection. It made me incredibly sad to think he would never be used to me feeling affectionate towards him when, in reality, I had always felt affectionate towards him.

Bill Compton was a _jackass._

Apparently my blood then announced that for me because everyone flooded me with mirth for it. Thankfully, it wasn't near as much mirth as they sent over the vampire erotica, so I easily stifled any urge to laugh.

"And Mr. Compton was sent to procure you because?" Russell prompted.

He damn well knew. He just wanted to see if we'd admit it.

"Because I used to be telepathic when I was alive, your majesty," I said softly.

"Used to be?"

I nodded and explained, "Sometimes I get emotions now, but no thoughts. It's my own personal theory that I can't hear them anymore because I no longer emit any livin' brainwaves. When I was alive, vampires were completely silent to me. They were the only ones I couldn't hear."

My spur of the moment theory impressed Godric and he flushed me with pride. If my telepathy had been the result of something scientific, my theory would make complete sense. It wasn't though, it was something magical instead, like the essence of vampire blood.

"Then why would you get emotions?" Russell asked, truly confused.

Godric realized where I was going with all of this and gave me a slow smile as he sent me mischief and clarified my false theory for me, "We believe Sookie's control over her blood is a vampire gift, your highness. Feeling the emotions of others could just be an extension of it. After all, it is the main effect of the blood. It's ironic that Sookie went from having no control over her blood to having total control and now she receives emotions from others in a completely different way than she did before, isn't it?"

Huh. I really did go from having no control to total control over the emotions in my blood.

Clever maker.

At that point, Eric's emotions sharpened and came into focus, becoming crystal clear. It was like Godric's words had suddenly reminded Eric I was currently feeling _his_ emotions too and he felt incredulous, shocked, amazed, affectionate, tender, and hopeful, which had me swelling with relief. He reached out for me in the tie and I gladly reached back, letting him pull me into an emotional embrace and nuzzle me, cuddling me while flooding me with security, tenderness, appreciation, and his own relief. He was relieved I had felt things for him before Dallas, completely surprised that I had, but relieved.

My lips twitched. If he felt relieved to know that, then _Eric_ felt things for _me_ before Dallas, and not just lust and a craving for my blood like I had feared. He was relieved it hadn't just been him.

"Yes, it is," Russell agreed and got up to stoke the fire. "I would say you're likely right, Miss Stackhouse. Mr. Compton did growl, idiotically I may add, when Godric had only mentioned the Norseman's name. It makes sense he would use him as a fall guy."

Russell believed us about my telepathy and was now ready to change the subject. Franklin had not only glamoured Tara about me, he glamoured my brother, Jason, when he couldn't find Bill's progeny to question her about the two of us. Both Tara and Jason had told him there was nothing unique about me, that I lost my telepathy, and that I was just an ordinary vampire, which Franklin reported to Russell. After listening to my theories and seeing how very controlled I was, he thought it was entirely possible whatever emotions I felt was a vampire gift or just a remnant of my ability. He was now willing to shut the book on my gift.

Thank God.

After a moment of reflective silence, I asked, "Will you hand him over to the Magister, your majesty?"

"No," Russell said, shaking his vehemently before facing us again and adding in an annoyed, dramatic tone, "Mr. Compton will meet the true death by his maker. He will be punished for attempted regicide. Honestly, the Magister is a nasty little… anachronistic toad. A ridiculous remnant of the Middle Ages. The only power he has over us is the power we give him."

Godric and I glanced at each other as he spoke, concern and wariness rising in our bond. Confusion rippled across our connections with Pam and Jess, but Eric felt pure glee. He was enjoying watching Russell bury himself even further. Godric gave me a push and I nodded before turning my attention back to Russell's mind again and digging deep, searching for exactly how Russell felt about the Magister and the Authority.

Shock and extreme caution burst across our bond when Godric and I discovered a few things, which freaked out our bloodline when they felt it. Russell had indeed been planning a takeover of Louisiana, but he wasn't planning to stop there. He was going to move from state to state, taking control of vampire kingdoms and establishing his own authority. He planned to uproot our government, our ruling faction, and establish himself as an ultimate ruler. The frightening thing was that Russell had allies, Sanguinistas.

The Sanguinistas believed that humans served one purpose in the world, to feed us. They believed we were better than everyone and everything else in this world and humans were little more than cattle. Sanguinistas used the idea of Lilith, a vampire god, to spread their fanatical beliefs and explain away their darker natures, giving their consciences absolution they didn't deserve when they tore humans apart for fun and reveled in the death they spread throughout the world. Russell agreed with them when it came to subjugating humans, though he thought the religious aspect was ludicrous. It was his opinion that humans should never have been allowed control, that they would destroy the earth and take vampires down with them. He'd been enmeshing himself in conflicts for thousands of years in order to annihilate as many humans as he could whenever he felt they'd grown too powerful, just like he did in the last world war when he leant his wolves to Hitler's cause.

And just like Hitler, Russell felt he was destined to be the ruler of a supreme race.

Smart, right? Because Hitler's destiny worked out _so well_ for him.

Now that vampire kind had revealed itself to humanity, Russell was planning on getting involved and drastically making the conflict worse yet again. He wanted humans to target vampires, firmly believing vampires would then rise up and take the control away from humanity, which was something the Sanguinistas also wholeheartedly believed in, thus they had come to terms.

If the Sanguinistas got their way though, there'd only be one _realistic_ outcome- _we would be hunted_.

And it wouldn't be as fun as when I hunted Eric.

Godric and I came to a couple decisions pretty quickly upon hearing Russell's delusional thoughts. One, we were done trying to reason with him, we would move onto plan B where Bill was concerned. Two, we would now include anything about the Sanguinista movement in the evidence we gathered and tomorrow I would be looking for all the names I could find of any vampires involved in the movement to turn over to the Authority. Three, we had to deliver this evidence to the Authority as quickly as possible since Russell planned to start enacting his plan within the next couple nights, starting with Louisiana. And four, the best way to do all this was to agree with Russell as much as possible and get the hell out of dodge as soon as we could.

"I agree, your majesty," Godric stated, flooding Eric and Pam with reassurance when they sent him their disbelief and confusion. "We thought we should mention it, but why bother with the Magister at all? Compton's meeting the true death. Can he realistically be punished more than that? Why should the Magister's punishment take precedence over yours? You are older, more powerful. It shouldn't. Your punishment should take precedence over the Magister's."

Russell nodded and gave us a sadistic smile, "I've always liked you, Godric. Talbot was right, I should offer you the sheriff position. Would you be interested?"

This would be one thing we would not automatically agree with him on.

 _Suggest Eric,_ I quickly sent to him. Bewilderment emerged in the bond and he glanced at me very briefly. _Master, suggest Eric for the position. Tell him he's dissatisfied with the queen, Russell will transition to takeover talk and we'll offer to set a meeting. Then Eric will have his opportunity to end him._

When I asked Eric what he would've done about the vampire blood, he said he likely would've sworn fealty to another monarch. In fact, he told me he probably would've approached Russell Edgington. I was just taking that idea and adding a small twist.

Godric's lips twitched and understanding and pride washed over me in a wave as big as a tsunami, which only confused Eric and Pam even more.

"In all honesty, your majesty, I left my position as sheriff in Texas because I wanted more free time to spend teaching my youngest progeny. May I suggest an alternative though?" Godric asked.

Russell looked disappointed but still threw his hands out in front of him and energetically said, "By all means!"

"My progeny, Eric, is dissatisfied with Sophie-Anne," Godric began and Russell slowly started to give us a sinister smile. "She's running her state poorly, now we find out she's involved with vampire blood, she's taxing her state like crazy, abusing her power, and targeted Eric's sister, who he is very _fond_ of. If you offered him a position, I truly think he may accept it."

Russell cackled, delighting in the idea. Understanding slowly began to replace the shock coming from my tie with Eric and he pushed curiosity straight at me. I pushed back a firm _yes_ in response and he swamped me with pride and affection. Eric had just asked me if this was my idea and he was a very big fan.

He should be. He came up with it.

"Sophie-Anne is childish. She doesn't deserve her own kingdom. She's drowning in debt and Mr. Compton was kind enough to explain her involvement with the V to me. I offered her an alliance through marriage earlier, but she rejected it. I plan to maneuver her into it, is this something your progeny would be interested in, Godric?" Russell asked. "Something he can assist me with in return for a position in my retinue?"

Having Eric's help meant being privy to everything a sheriff knew about his monarch, including things like security at her compound. Now that he wasn't sure about anything Bill told him, he needed another source to confirm it and Eric would be able to do that. At the very least, Eric could let slip what he knew about Sophie-Anne's finances and her troubles with the IRS. If Russell were to get Eric to help him, his takeover would be a breeze.

"You would have to speak with him," Godric said carefully. "I believe he would be open to a discussion with you, your majesty, but I do not interfere with his position as sheriff. Like I said, he's dissatisfied. It was not a smart thing for the queen to upset her most powerful sheriff. I can guarantee a sit-down between you, but anything else would be up to him."

Russell nodded, thinking things through for a moment before he said, "Arrange it. I'll meet with him. Make it soon."

"Your majesty?" I asked and Russell trained his eyes on me. "Might I suggest meetin' with him in Louisiana? Maybe at his club? If things go well, and I believe they will, he may be able to help you settle your situation… quickly."

Godric nodded in agreement with me.

"He can ensure privacy there?" Russell asked. We both nodded and Russell made a quick decision, "All right, set up a meeting at the club."

There was no point in telling Russell to come alone, we heard from his thoughts that he was already planning on it, not wishing to attract attention to himself if he was leaving the state and entering another vampire's kingdom. It was also implied Russell would have to show up alone. If Eric really had been contemplating something treasonous like this, he would never, ever agree to _anything_ if Russell came with someone else and Russell knew that.

He eyed me again contemplatively, analyzing my behavior for the night, the movements of my body, the suggestions I made, Talbot's attachment to me, and the manipulation I admitted to where I outsmarted Eric. He nodded to himself and switched his gaze back to my maker and proposed, "Godric, if you decide to swear fealty to Mississippi, I believe Miss Stackhouse would also fit nicely into my retinue. I realize she'll need a few years of training, but whenever you deem her worthy, I'll find a position for her."

My ties in Louisiana echoed shock and amusement back to me while Godric turned his head towards me with exaggerated slowness and eyed me with a glare, giving me a very pointed look. I didn't need to be able to translate his thoughts to understand what he was thinking at the moment. His face clearly said, _Why does this keep happening with you?_

Wasn't it obvious? Russell was clearly insane.

I actually had no idea why older and powerful vampires seemed to like me so much, but it was varying degrees of entertaining. For some reason, they just latched onto me and wanted to claim me in some way. The Magister, Thalia, Talbot, Russell (hell, Eric wanted to claim me in _every_ way)- it was like every ancient or powerful vampire I came across wanted to keep me close. Somehow, I'd gone from being catnip to vampires as a mortal to catnip to ancients as a vampire. I sent him a mental shrug, which greatly entertained him, and he eyed me dubiously for another moment before he said, "We are greatly honored, your majesty. She still has much to learn, but when she is ready, we will give it the utmost consideration. Assuming we take up residence in Mississippi, of course."

"Of course," Russell agreed with nonchalance. He thought everything was just a formality at this point, believing he had us hook, line, and sinker.

He didn't realize we weren't the fish, we were the bait.

"Your majesty," a guard interrupted us and we all turned our attention towards the door, "the hotel has delivered the travel coffins and they've been set up in the guest suite."

Godric had called the hotel Alcide was bringing us to the next day when Talbot had dragged me off for the tour. If Russell had been willing to let us take Bill, he would've called them back and asked for another one.

Russell nodded and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. He then turned his attention back to us and said, "You and your progeny are welcome to join us for another night, Godric."

Godric nodded while we all came to our feet. "Thank you, your majesty, but I think we may head back to Louisiana. We need to discuss things with Eric in person and we haven't finished packing up Sookie's house. We still need to make arrangements for her things and property. We wanted to check out your state first and see what other options were available to us before we closed anything up."

"Well, Mississippi would welcome you and both of your progenies should you choose to reside here," Russell stated with a wide smile and called the name of another guard to lead us up to our suite. Daylight was nearing and Godric and I chose to retire a little early, needing a moment to ourselves to figure out how exactly we were going to rescue Bill and Tara without falling under suspicion.


	30. Chapter 30: Way of the Warrior

_**A/N:**_

 _So this is a little bit later than I meant to get out today, but I'm still not feeling all that well. The good news? It's a bit longer than the last few chaps! Yay!_

 _Readers, you are all just fantastic. I can't believe how many people have added me to their favorites now. I did a victory dance when I hit 100. Woot Woot!_

 _[ **1** ] Okay, so here's what you need to know. There was a question about whether I made up Russell's motives last chapter or if it was something revealed during a "behind the scenes" clip. As far as I know? I made it up. I just took what we knew about the Sanguinistas in season 5 and paired it with what we knew about Russell from season 3. It seemed like a logical way to go and I wanted to go into detail about what Sookie read in his thoughts. TB never explained why Russell wanted to take over Louisiana or why he was so chill about pissing off the Authority, so I just took that a step further and worked it into my plot._

 _[ **2** ] What do you need to know about this chapter? Sookie discovers another gift, but it's a minor one. Claudine used it in SVM for silly things. I won't say more than that though so that you can be a little surprised when it pops up in here._

 _[ **3** ] Vampire Sookie returns next chapter! This one's more Faepire Sookie. She's working to protect Tara so she doesn't become completely predatory._

 ** _Disclaimer_** **:** _I do not own TB or SVM. Charlaine Harris, HBO, and Alan Ball do. I just like borrowing their players and starting a new game. You'd be surprised to see how often the Viking scores._

* * *

"Do you still have your blade on you?" Godric asked.

I slid a hand into my jacket sleeve and dexterously pulled my silver dagger from its leather sheath, which was currently strapped to my left forearm so it would be easier to reach, and expertly flipped it a couple times before fluidly slipping it back in.

Godric nodded with a small smile, impressed with how quickly I had picked up working with blades. He shut the empty equipment containers as he asked, "Cell phone and hard drive cloner?" I pointed to the zipped up pocket on the right side of my dark green cargo pants. "USB drives?" I tapped the pocket on my left side. "Stakes?" I unzipped my larger lower right pocket, pulled one out, tucked it back in, and zipped it again. "I want you to take the signal jammer and use it in the room with Tara after…"

After I kill Franklin. I nodded.

"Maybe we should get the button camera after all. Eric and I can stay up and watch you-" he began.

"Master," I interrupted, "there's no point. I'll be fine. Franklin will be in day-rest and I will glamour Lorena. You will be needlessly giving yourself the bleeds if you stay awake." I smiled warmly and pushed reassurance and confidence into the bond to soothe away his worry.

He eyed me doubtfully for a moment before his shoulders slumped and he nodded, "Do you have your cell phone?" I flashed him the inside of my synthetic leather jacket to show him where I secured it. "Okay, call Fangtasia when you're done and leave Eric a message. He'll be worried when he rises." He sighed, looked me over one more time, and reluctantly stated, "I guess you're ready now."

I had to shield my intense amusement and mirth from him since he was so worried and nervous. I almost felt like a preschooler talking to her father on the first day of school. He cupped my face with his hands, pressed his lips to my forehead, and brushed a lock of hair behind my ear before pulling back.

"I'll be all right, Godric. If you want, I'll give you a little love zap when I'm done to wake you and let you know everything's okay?" I suggested. Godric gave me a sheepish grin and shot me gratitude while he nodded.

"You're a warrior, Sookie. I realized that the moment I met you. Even when you faced insurmountable odds, you didn't lose your fight. Even when you lay there dying and realized you lost your own battle, you fought for me. Now you fight for Tara in order to free her, you fight for Eric to help him put his family to rest, and you fight for yourself to ensure your own safety and get justice from someone who has wronged you. I am proud of you, min dotter," he said quietly, pushing me conviction while showering me with pride and love. I sent him my own gratitude and languidly caressed the tie for giving me such a meaningful and heartwarming compliment.

He took a step back and twirled a finger to indicate I should turn around. I did as he asked, confused, and pushed him mirth a second later when I realized he had braided my hair at vamp speed like Eric had a couple nights ago. I turned back around and he smiled brilliantly while he shrugged a shoulder and admitted, "I paid attention when you glamoured him."

I laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He then walked over to the jammer on the dresser and shut it off before handing it to me. I stuffed in in the back pocket of my cargo pants before zipping it closed. We were now being recorded, but not filmed.

When Godric and I entered the guest suite, I had gone into the bathroom, climbed into the shower, and pulled the curtain closed. Figuring there would be no cameras in the shower stall of the bathroom, I stayed inside it while I focused internally on my light, engaged my light shield, and popped to Alcide's for the equipment we needed. I left our cameras at Alcide's in my normal travel coffin, worried someone may check our room while we were sleeping and not wanting them to come across any gadgets, before scooping up what I needed during the day.

After I popped back, I left the bag containing the equipment's travel cases in the shower with the exception of my nifty little bug scanner, the same one I used at Eric's club, which I then turned on and used to search our room at vamp speed. There were four bugs in the suite and one in the bathroom inside a flower arrangement, but no cameras anywhere. I then retrieved the bag from the shower and we set up the jammer next before turning on the rest of the equipment, which really just meant the cloner, and now we were getting ready for dawn.

I yawned needlessly, since I never felt the pull of the sun, and stretched my arms above my head dramatically, making Godric's lips twitch, and tiredly said, "Master, I gotta get to bed, I'm feelin' the pull now. I'll see ya tomorrow night."

He told me to have a good rest while I walked over to my travel coffin and opened it, made some ridiculous noises, and shut it again, making it sound like I had just climbed in. Godric climbed into his own travel coffin, winked at me, and pulled it shut. I heard the lock engage inside and felt him slowly shift into down time. He wouldn't be awake much longer and I'd be off starring in my own version of Sookie Impossible.

When the sun rose, Godric cheekily sent me the "green light" just before he died and everything quickly fell silent on the emotional front as the last members of my bloodline tucked themselves in for the day and fell into death.

Well, almost everything.

Surprisingly, one of my ties was still active. I focused on it and realized instantly that Eric was still awake. I pushed him curiosity, wondering why he was forcing himself to ignore the pull of the sun, and he made my lips twitch when he sent me back a push that said, _Seriously?_

Okay, not my smartest moment.

What could I say? I had a lot on my mind.

My stomach flip-flopped though when I realized Eric was purposefully going to stay awake until I called him after this was over. He was so concerned for me that he was fighting his day death to make sure everything went well and I'd be all right.

If he thought he could do anything from Louisiana though, it wasn't his smartest moment either.

Still, I loved that damn Viking.

I laced our tie with affection, gratitude, tenderness, and sent him an emotional caress while I reigned in my light and faded from view. I was extremely glad nobody could hear me when he pushed me back his own affection and a shit ton of lust, making me growl and my fangs drop. I smacked the back of his head again, sent him an admonishment, and flooded him with exasperation. He realized I needed to focus when he felt my scolding and sent me a reluctant apology. The tie then fell silent with the exception of an incredible and continuous amount of support and strength that he was streaming to me.

Did I mention I loved him?

I closed my eyes to really focus on the minds of those around me on Russell's property. Only two vampires were currently awake, Lorena and Bill, and I could feel them off to the back of Russell's grounds in the slave quarters. There were several Were guards moving around, but they were very sluggish today, having spent the night before high on V and running around Jackson in their wolf forms. Many of them were regretting that fact and, for the first time, giving serious consideration to stopping V and trying to give up their addictions.

Gee, wonder what inspired them to do that?

Still, good doggies.

Maybe I'd give them all a treat later.

I quickly searched the rest of the minds in the house and narrowed in on the room where I could feel Tara. She was terrified. Not only was she terrified, she thought she was going crazy and was convinced she hadn't really heard me transmit thoughts. Unfortunately, I had to head to the slave quarters and snag Bill first instead of Tara because Lorena was planning on killing him very, very soon, though I desperately wanted to rescue Tara before him. She was family and should've been my priority, but Franklin was dead for the day and Lorena wasn't. In no world should Bill ever come before Tara.

That just told me how fucked up my world currently was.

I flipped through my mental files and pulled up a memory of the slave quarters and the area just outside it that I had dug out of the mind of a guard last night while simultaneously pushing a thought to Tara, _You're not crazy. I'm comin' for you. I can't get to you this moment, but I am comin' and I'll be there within an hour._

 _Shit, Sook! I thought I imagined it all!_ she frantically thought back, _Please come for me now, Sook. What if he wakes up? What then? HE WANTS TO TURN ME!_

 _Tara, honey,_ I soothed while I popped myself outside the shack housing Bill, _Franklin's dead. Only extreme danger will wake him up. I am coming, but if I rush, I'll give us away and I gotta be smart so Franklin doesn't get a chance to turn you. I really need to focus now, but I wanted to make sure you knew you weren't crazy. You gonna be okay for a little bit?_

She paused for a moment, thinking everything through before realizing I was right. I couldn't afford to make a mistake with her life on the line and she knew it.

 _Yeah, all right, yeah,_ she said with a mental sigh and I turned my attention to the building in front of me.

Lorena had stepped out of the room and into another part of the quarters, so now was the best chance I had. Earlier, I had slipped on a pair of leather gloves to both avoid burning myself with any silver restraints and leaving fingerprints anywhere, so I was ready. Hearing the vicious thoughts of Lorena, who was furiously blaming me for all this, and the pathetic thoughts of Bill, who was thinking he would die honorably for _the one he_ _loved_ , had all of my emotions tightening and nearly disappearing. I stretched myself languidly, rolled my shoulders back, and used a leather covered hand to turn the doorknob and open the door.

My fangs immediately dropped when I scented fresh blood as I slipped into the room and shut the door quietly behind me. The room was extremely dark, the walls were covered in old and decrepit garden tools, rusted chains hung randomly from the ceiling, and the floor was covered in blood. Bill's blood.

And it smelled _nasty_.

I'd never enjoyed the taste of Bill's blood when I was alive, but it never left such a foul taste lingering on my tongue from just the scent before either. Whenever I was forced to drink it, his blood had tasted strongly metallic, like I was sucking on a mouthful of pennies. Godric, on the other hand, had blood that tasted like fruit punch and Eric's tasted like rock salt and white chocolate, like one of those yummy truffles that melts in your mouth. The drop of Pam's I had tasted like one of those Red Hots candies, which fit her since she was full of so much fire and snark. Hell, even Jessica's blood had tasted good. She tasted like gingerbread cookies and brought me back to Christmas morning when I drank from her. Was that because they were part of my bloodline? And Jessica's tasted yummy because she was meant to be my progeny? Was it because the taste of their blood reflected their personalities somehow? Was it because I liked their inner selves so my mind tricked my taste buds into thinking they were delicious?

I didn't know. All I did know was Bill's was revolting and the scent alone had me feeling like there was fur growing on my tongue. I shuddered at the thought of swallowing it.

Bill was currently sprawled out on the ground with his wrists and ankles manacled in silver. Lorena had really gone to town on him and he lost so much blood that he wasn't healing anymore. Vampires were built to last though and Bill would be fine as long as we eventually fed him some blood. When Bill killed Longshadow, he had the choice of turning Jessica as punishment or being buried in silver for five years, so I didn't need to worry about him withering away. If a vampire could last five years chained in silver without blood, then Bill could last one day. If anything, the only real danger was him becoming feral and grabbing the closest source of blood to drain. Even if that happened, he would come back to himself in time to stop. Human blood heals us extremely quickly and with injuries like his, where the biggest injury was just being drained, it would only take a couple mouthfuls to get control of himself.

Though part of me doubted Bill could ever control himself.

It was part of the reason he came across as so idiotic.

As I thought through all this, I scoured the room for the keys to his manacles. After my third pass around the room without results, I reluctantly lowered my shield and walked over to Bill, coming to a stop by his head, and whispered, "Bill?"

I kept my voice vampire soft and got close to him so I wouldn't be loud enough to catch Lorena's attention. His eyelids popped open and he looked at me with round, wide eyes before incredulously asking, "Sookeh? Sookeh, sweetheart, I kn-"

I kicked him in the side to shut him up and he grunted but kept his trap closed. I brought my fingers to my lips and then pantomimed out handcuffs to show him I needed to find the keys to his chains. He glared at me when I kicked him but slowly began to understand he was being an idiot by talking so loud and transitioned that glare into sluggish blinks. He looked around for a second and finally trained his eyes higher up on the wall by the door I entered through.

Okay, how the hell was I supposed to see that? Who hung them up there? The Jolly Green Giant?

I started walking over to the wall, thinking about how to get the keys down when I heard the other door swing open behind me and Lorena say, "William-"

I spun around at vamp speed, hoping it wasn't too late to catch her eyes and glamour her when she hissed out, "YOU!" and launched herself at me with the speed of a vampire half a millennium old.

Not having much of a choice but to meet her attack, I threw myself towards her at my favorite Viking vampire's speed and grabbed the rusted chain hanging from the ceiling between us. I used my grip on the chain to simultaneously hoist myself higher and propel my body across the room, swinging myself at her while furiously kicking my leg up as high as I could, and slammed the heel of my boot into her chest. The wooden heel sunk into her like a warm knife through butter and she immediately burst into blood and goo, showering the room in her remains.

I was feeling pretty damn triumphant and badass when the chain suddenly groaned. I frantically looked up just as a worn link snapped and dropped me hard on my ass in the puddle that was Lorena.

The bitch was dead and she still got the last word.

The room fell into complete silence as both Bill and I absorbed everything that just happened.

"I don't know whether to clap or laugh-" Bill started.

"Shut the fuck up. Beehl!" I snarled and got to my feet, thankfully only my ass was covered in Lorena. "Did she have a towel she used to clean, well, _you_ off her hands with?"

He somehow managed to chuckle and moan at the same time while pointing towards the door Lorena used when she came back. I slipped through it, found an old-fashioned washroom with a dozen clean towels, and cleaned myself up.

By some _miracle_ , the cargo pants Godric bought me were of such excellent quality that they appeared to be either stain proof or weather resistant, and none of the blood soaked through to the jammer in my back pocket. I was just praying it still worked after I landed on it but decided I would continue only talking to Tara telepathically just in case.

When the chain snapped, Eric felt my fleeting pain and sent me worry. While I washed up, I responded to his concern with reassurance and sent him a push that jokingly asked him, W _anna kiss my booboo?_

I then panicked when I felt him start to scour my blood for the booboo in question because I belatedly realized if he sent me a kiss, that would make him an ass-kisser.

Unfortunately, he realized this at the same time I did and his mirth, amusement, and glee shot up. Instead of kissing it to make it all better, though, the dickhead spanked it.

I yelped, it was still sore after all, and smacked the back of his head while I sent him a push that told him he'd look amazing with a sun tan.

After pulling Lorena's stringy remains off my ass and taking a wet cloth to it to wipe off the blood, I released a burst of sunlight to vaporize the evidence. I walked back out to the main area of the slave quarters and stared back up at the keys on the wall while I considered my options, when the door burst open again.

 _Oh come on._

Bill flinched when direct sunlight hit him and two Weres walked in, Debbie and Cooter. Obviously, luck was just not on my side today. Debbie walked in backwards, wearing a bikini top and short shorts, flirting and teasing Coot as she entered. They both turned around and practically started drooling when they realized Lorena wasn't in the room, apparently not having seen me yet.

"Well, look at that, Deb, looks like they set out a buffet for us," Coot chuckled.

While Bill pitifully groaned and started begging for his life, I casually slipped my dagger out, raised it in front of me, bent my elbow, and flicked my wrist, throwing it with perfect aim so it sank into the wall behind them, perfectly spaced between their heads.

Bulls-eye.

Working in a bar meant I mastered the art of throwing darts early on in life.

Their heads whipped towards me with glowing eyes and I pushed my influence towards them, quickly sorting their two natures from each other and glamouring them simultaneously. In the voice of a flirty cheerleader, I said, "You both came here before the sun rose hopin' you could convince Lorena to let you drink Bill Compton's blood, didn't you?"

Bill gasped while they nodded. I ignored Bill completely as I added, "When you walked in, Lorena was feedin' Bill blood and had unchained him. You realized she was goin' to let him escape, so you did your jobs and tried to stop her. You both worked together and managed to stake Lorena, but Bill slipped past you while you were distracted. The scent of her blood was too much for you and you couldn't stop yourselves from feastin' on her remains, gettin' high on more V. You won't come down from your V trips until just before sunset, and by then, Bill's trail will be too cold to follow. You'll reluctantly tell Russell what happened and beg for forgiveness. I was never here and Bill was already free."

They nodded and I pulled back from Coot, who immediately dropped to his knees and began drinking Lorena's blood off the floor. I kept Debbie under my influence and purred, _"_ _Debbie,_ after you and Coot tell Russell what happened, you're gonna be so disgusted with yourself for drinkin' the blood of a dead vampire off the floor, disgusted that you touched her remains to get your fix, and you'll seriously consider changing your lifestyle. You'll think 'bout where your life's headed, okay?" She nodded, so I continued, "You'll also realize Alcide is a good man and doesn't deserve to be treated the way you're treatin' him. Either you'll come off the V and work on becomin' a better person, or you won't. If you don't, you'll leave Alcide alone. You won't keep fuckin' with his life and leading him on if you stay on V because you don't wanna hurt him and you know you're causing him pain, okay?"

I refused to glamour Debbie into giving up her addiction and going back to Alcide. It had to be her choice, her decision, to turn her life around. When it came to things like addiction, the problem was too deeply rooted in their psyches to just glamour it away. True addicts would just find away around it, find a loophole, and end up right back where they started. However, I could hold up a mirror for her and force her to take a long, hard look at herself in it and, hopefully, give her the incentive to decide for herself on whether or not she wanted to continue going down this path. If she truly loved Alcide, she'd give up the V. If she still didn't want to give up her addiction, then I was fine with glamouring her to stay away from Alcide. I considered him a friend now and Debbie would bring him nothing but pain as long as she was involved with vampire blood.

Debbie teared up and nodded again as she whispered, "I don't wanna hurt Alcide. I love him. I should come off the V or leave him alone. He doesn't deserve this and I won't do it to him no more."

"Good, Debbie, now bring me my dagger," I said and she turned and pulled it from the wall. When she handed it to me, I placed the stake Lorena was going to use to kill Bill in her hand and ordered, "You're gonna soak this in Lorena's remains. It's the stake you and Coot used to kill Lorena."

She took the stake and headed over to Lorena's blood puddle while I pulled my influence back from her. Bill looked at me incredulously, apparently suffered just a little too much shock, and promptly passed out. I eyed the keys again, frustrated, and wished I could just call it to me like I could call to my blood. I then suffered my own little shock when the keys lit up, disappeared, and popped into my hands.

Well, ain't that nifty.

Was that how Cinderella's fairy godmother poofed a dress and slippers out of nowhere?

I chuckled to myself, thinking about all the ways I could use that little ability to fuck with Godric and Eric, walked over to Bill, and unlocked the chain keeping him bound to the floor. I reached over to start unlocking his manacles when I thought better of it. Bill really didn't need to walk around completely free. He was now my prisoner after all. He was stronger than me and I just killed his maker. Sure, he felt relief right now, but he had to be suffering from the breaking of their bond and I really didn't need to be attacked and drained for it later.

I'd rather spend a week cursed by a witch than let Bill Compton drink my blood again.

I stuck the keys in the pocket with my stakes before placing a leather-covered hand on Bill. I focused on reigning in the light that made me visible, this time including the light also surrounding Bill, and pulled it inwards, towards my core, and absorbed it all into my spark. Once we disappeared from view, I popped us back to the guest suite. I took a look around to make sure the coast was clear and released my light again. Quickly, I removed the jammer from my pocket, turned it on, and pulled out my cell phone. When I saw that my phone immediately lost its signal, I let out a sigh of relief. The jammer was still working if my cell couldn't connect. I slipped my cell back into my pocket, walked over to my coffin, and entered the code necessary to unlock it. I then vamped back to Bill, picked him up, and carelessly dumped him into it.

It's not like he could feel it. He was dead for the day,

Not that I cared if he felt it. Actually, I kind of wish he had.

I then shut my travel coffin and entered in the code once again, effectively locking Bill in since he didn't know the code and wouldn't be able to open it from the inside without it.

Part one of my mission was now complete. When Alcide retrieved the coffins, Russell's guards would literally load their own prisoner up in Alcide's company van for us, thinking it was me inside, and I'd hop into the back still under my light shield.

They'd technically be the ones who released Bill.

Clever, ain't it?

I turned off the jammer and stuck it back in my pocket before closing my eyes and reigning in my light once more. I then reached out with my telepathy again and pushed my influence into Tara's mind while pulling with my gift and sent, _Okay, Tara, girl, I'm comin' for you now. There's somethin' I didn't tell you before. I told you 'bout how I was a fairy and how we could manipulate sunlight, but I didn't tell you that I could literally manipulate the light on my skin and pull it into my body. I can pull that light inwards and disappear from view, which is what I'm doing right now, so you won't see me coming. You won't see me at all, okay?_

I heard nothing but silence from Tara in response as she digested my words. Finally, she hesitantly asked, _What? You mean like the Invisible Girl?_

I laughed and sent back _, Yes, exactly like the invisible girl._

Godric and I discussed how to get Tara free and realized there was just no possible way to do it without revealing most of my abilities to her. She already knew about my telepathy because I could send her thoughts and she needed to know about my other ones in order for me to help her escape, so he gave me permission to reveal them to her. If she didn't react well, I would glamour the memories from her later, but at this point it was likely she'd be thankful for them since they would save her life.

 _Well, shit, Sook. Please tell me you the only vampire that can do that. I dunno if I could sleep at night if I knew invisible vamps were walking 'round._

 _Yes, Tara. It's just me. There aren't any other fairy-vampire hybrids that I know of and it's a Fae ability,_ I assured her.

 _Well, a'ight then. I can handle one invisible vampire, but that's my limit._

I kept her distracted with talking about my ability as I focused on her mind and dug out an image of the room she was in. Using that image as my template, a map, I popped myself into her room. While she likened me to the Invisible Girl, I turned on the jammer once again and pulled out my bug scanner to sweep the room for cameras and listening devices. There were two bugs, but no cameras, thankfully. I kept the jammer on but tucked away my scanner and pulled out a stake.

The room Tara was in was white with fancy curtains that covered the wall and created the illusion of having a window. In reality, there was nothing behind the curtains. The opposite wall was covered in weapons Talbot and Russell must've collected over the years because some of them looked like they belonged in the Middle Ages. My stomach dropped and a feeling of dread and nausea washed over me as I realized the bed had ropes attached to the headboard. Tara must've been tied up all night, though she was free now.

What a sick mother trucker.

Eric flooded me with concern when he felt my disgust and horror. I pushed him reassurance and a feeling of companionship, hoping he would realize I was trying to tell him I found Tara. He pushed me understanding and sent me another wave of concern, making me smile when I realized this concern was directed at my friend. I sent him reassurance once again and stroked him in reward for worrying about her.

Tara was still in bed with Franklin, wearing a white gown that looked like it was taken from the set of Dracula and used for one of his brides to wear. I rolled my eyes at this and I edged closer. Franklin had an arm wrapped around her and a leg slung over her knees, trapping her with his dead weight. Vampires were literally dead to the world once the sun rose, so he wouldn't feel Tara moving if she slid out from under him. He wouldn't feel anything at all unless someone forcefully tried to wake him up or he sensed immediate danger, which was very hard to do anything about because vampires were so sluggish when woken early. It was for exactly that reason so many vampires kept their resting places secret.

 _All right, I'm going to roll Franklin over and you'll slip free. Don't go anywhere, there are guards outside in the halls,_ I warned. She nodded and I walked over to the bed as she did so. My fangs dropped again when I smelled vampire blood. Tara positively reeked of it. He nearly drowned her in it. I'd have to glamour her to forget her blood dreams if she wanted to have any peace at all when she slept.

There was no way now that I could let Franklin live. Even if I had wanted to, had decided to wake him up and glamour him into letting Tara go, I couldn't with his blood inside her. Franklin was psychotic and he would be way too tempted to manipulate that blood. He would know where she was for at least a year with that amount of blood and he'd be able to torment her with it. Glamour didn't work so well on the truly crazy, and I could tell from his mind that he was crazy, so I didn't have a choice.

Not that it mattered, he was going to meet the true death today anyway.

He was getting off easy, in all honesty. My fairy side wanted to light his ass up like the Fourth of July.

I've always enjoyed sparklers.

I had to end him though, I had to give Tara that small peace of mind and justice for what she'd been through.

Plus, he pissed me off last night. Because of him, I had to turn my back on a friend while she was begging for her life and both of my natures agreed with me on this, Franklin could not live.

I stopped beside Franklin's side of the bed and lazily cracked my neck and stretched my arms above my head. Right now, protectiveness, fury, and caution were beating like a drum inside me, giving me my marching orders. I slowly rolled Franklin to the side while raising the stake above my head. Tara immediately shot out of bed like a bullet, making it very obvious she'd had a lot of blood, and I brought the stake down. He opened his eyes and his fangs dropped just as I plunged the stake into his heart. I popped away to get myself out of the splash zone as he burst apart.

Tara shoved her fist against her mouth and bit her knuckles to keep from screaming. I dropped my light shield, bringing myself back into focus for her so I didn't frighten her more and she launched herself at me with incredible speed as soon as my form began to brighten. My features were still shifting when she laced her arms around me and started to cry. I brought my own arms around her and hushed and soothed her while we rocked from side to side. I tunneled through her mind and reviewed the last two days and the horrors that she went through while I hugged her.

Tears spilled down my own cheeks when I realized she had to sleep with Franklin to get access to his blood. My scent was still masked, so nobody would smell my blood when they investigated later and I wasn't worried about it. I was more worried about my friend.

Tara had been afraid she was hallucinating when she heard my voice in her mind the night before and thought she'd have to get herself out of this. She also thought there was a chance I wouldn't be able to come for her and that she might even have to come for me if things had gone wrong, so she drank as much as she could to make herself strong enough to injure Franklin during the day and hopefully fast enough to escape. It was a form of rape, plain and simple. She had been kidnapped and raped.

Eric, that beautiful man, felt my emotional upheaval and cranked up the level of support and strength he was sending me while simultaneously stroking me from head to toe with tenderness. He reinforced our tie with security and confidence and I nearly purred from the amount of affection he then pushed me.

Feeling bolstered by the emotions Eric was sending my way, I reached deep inside of myself for the peaceful green light I used twice before. I pushed that light into her while we hugged each other and reached across her mind to steal the terror from her. I pulled back from her and looked her in the eyes so I could push my glamour at her and started doctoring up her wounded psyche. There was no way in hell I would let Tara live with this. It was already difficult for her to accept I was vampire, and this would scar her for the rest of her life. I wasn't willing to let one bastard hurt her so badly.

I mended the fractures in her psyche and stroked a cool, soothing touch over the parts of her mind swollen with terror, placing my cooling influence on it like an ice pack and held it there until it receded. I worked and worked until she relaxed and her mind began to radiate tranquility. With the combination of my glamour and my fairy light, Tara would look back on this moment without fear. It wouldn't cripple her and that was just fine with me. I'd help her close up this part of her life just like I did with Lafayette.

"Tara," I said softly and seductively before giving her instructions very similar to the ones I gave Lafayette, "You will never dream of Franklin, you'll never have nightmares about vampires, being turned, or being kidnapped. Yes, you'll remember everythin' that happened, but it's just a memory. You got justice for what he did and you can close the book on this chapter in your life."

She nodded and her lip trembled. A relieved tear slipped out and I caught it and popped it into my mouth with my free hand, still pushing the light into her with the other. I quietly added, "You won't be afraid of Franklin anymore or afraid of vampires in general. You'll feel the same way you did before Franklin walked into your life. You decided when you saw I was vampire that you'd judge us each individually. I was proud of you when you thought that, Tara, and that's what you'll go back to thinking.'

"Everythin' you saw and will see me do today you'll add to the protective block. All the abilities I show you will be tucked away and you'll never mention it to anyone besides me and Godric, okay?"

"Okay, Sook. You kept me safe, I'll keep you safe. I promise," she whispered and another tear slipped out. My heart squeezed with love and Eric promptly scooped it up and absorbed it into himself, radiating pleasure and ecstasy back to me and making my lips twitch.

"If anyone ever asks you, the vampire blood helped you to be strong enough and fast enough to grab that mace on the wall, snap the wooden handle off, and stake him. Then you simply ran off the property," I finished and pulled back my influence. "Okay, girl?"

She nodded slowly and hugged me again. I focused on a spare pair of shorts and a shirt I had back in Bon Temps and called it to me while we embraced each other, delighted when they popped into my hands. When we broke apart, I said, "Put these on and we'll destroy that awful dress, then I'll get you outta here."

While Tara changed, I pulled the mace down and snapped the handle off. I handed it to Tara to get her prints on it before dumping it on top of Franklin's remains, coating it in blood. I explained to Tara when she touched it that everyone in Russell's mansion knew Franklin was psychotic. They wouldn't come looking for her because of this. In fact, many would be grateful to her for his death. There had to be a print on it though in case they checked it out and she understood.

It'd be considered self-defense if Tara had done it and even vampires understand the will to survive. Me? I'd get in trouble like Bill did for Longshadow and I couldn't risk that.

I quickly shot a concentrated blast of sunlight at the dress and the stake I had used to kill Franklin, completely destroying them both and obliterating the evidence. Tara stared at my hand wide-eyed when I did it, but didn't hesitate to quickly place her hand in mine when I explained I was going to pop her back to her apartment in Bon Temps. I asked her to invite me in so we could pop directly into her place while searching her mind for a recent memory of her living room to use as a map. I closed my eyes to bring it into focus and when I opened them again, we were in her apartment.

She turned to me with a sad smile, hugged me once more with every bit of suped up strength she had left, and whispered, "Thank you, Sookie. Thanks for savin' me, thanks for killing that fuckin' bastard, thanks for bringin' me home, and thanks for healin' me. I know that's what you did because my heart doesn't hurt anymore. I love you. I love you so much, Sook."

My heart squeezed again and I hugged her tighter to me while I whispered, "You're family, Tara. My kin. I will do anything to protect my kin. I love you."

I kissed her on the cheek and we broke apart slowly. She wished me good luck back in Jackson and I smiled at her while I pulled my light back into my core and disappeared from view. I watched her sigh with relief and head over to her phone to call Lafayette before I popped myself back to Russell's, having got a final glimpse of her thoughts and relieved to know she'd be just fine. Back in the mansion, I started the final part of my mission, downloading evidence from their computers and cloning any cell phones I found and hard drives I couldn't access by myself. Thankfully, the last leg of my mission went smoothly and I was able to gather all the evidence we needed without interruptions or being caught.


	31. Chapter 31: The Looking Glass

_**A/N:**_

 _*Rubbing hands together and cackling evilly*_

 _Ready for a new chapter? I know I didn't update yesterday. Like I told one of my reviewers, my muse didn't go on strike, my body did. I went from feeling sick to being sick and needed my own day of rest, but I worked on this chapter all night and have it for you now. I could've split this into to two, but decided not to since I was running late with it anyway and owed you one. It's probably the longest chapter you've seen yet, so enjoy it!_

 _Just one warning, you should all keep in mind Sookie picks unique punishments. If you think back to how she punished people who pissed her off earlier in the story, this chapter should make complete sense to you._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I do not own TB or SVM. Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO do. I just wanted to give their stories an extreme makeover. Ain't it pretty?_

* * *

When I was done ransacking the mansion for evidence, I popped back into our room and made sure the jammer was still working before setting it back up on the dresser. I then pulled out my cell phone, the USB drives, the cloner, the keys, and the stakes, setting them all next to the jammer. With Lorena's dried blood still coating my ass, I felt absolutely disgusting and was planning to take a shower before Alcide came to get us. Since it was about 9:30 a.m. and we had asked him to come pick us up at 11:00 a.m., it was very likely Alcide had already loaded up our travel coffins into his work van and was just waiting for me to give him the signal, which was just a text message. Because of this, I couldn't pop myself over to my coffin and add all our evidence to it like I had with the button cameras.

In order to teleport somewhere, I needed to visualize the area I wanted to pop to. It didn't have to be a place I'd been to before, but I did need a visual of it to work off of. Usually, I pulled the image from my own memory or I snagged a memory out of someone else's mind to use as a map of the area I wanted to pop to. Just today, I had dug into the mind of a guard for an image of the slave quarters and sifted through Tara's most recent thoughts for a visual of the room she was trapped in. I repeated that process when I popped Tara back to her apartment.

The more recent the memory, the better the template I created would be and the less likely it'd be that I'd end up in a very inconvenient situation. I already found myself in a dumpster once back in Dallas, so (after my fifteenth shower) I decided I needed to make sure I had the freshest memories of the places I wished to go from then on. Unfortunately, I didn't know what the inside of Alcide's van looked like. Without that image, I couldn't pop myself into the back of it and lock the evidence inside my normal coffin. I could pop into the coffin itself, but then I would undoubtedly break the button cameras stored inside. Plus, the coffin was already full. I had emptied out most of my bag and placed the dirty clothes and any extra outfits I brought to Jackson inside the coffin, using it like it was an extra suitcase. Since I couldn't lock up the other devices, I planned to ask Godric to stay awake and keep an eye on the room to make sure nobody walked in and discovered them until I finished my shower.

To prove to Russell that Godric really was training me in the way of old, we packed extremely light. The whole point of this type of training was to learn how to survive on your own in case something ever happened to your maker or you needed to go to ground for some reason. I emptied everything out of my bag the night before at Alcide's except for two days' worth of clothing and a nightgown. I also packed some makeup (a tube of lip gloss, eyeliner, mascara, and a little red eyeshadow), my wallet, and a hairbrush, but that was it. I was charging my phone with a portable battery so I didn't even bring a charger with me.

After I unloaded all my spy gear, I walked over to Godric's coffin and entered the code that disengaged the lock. Because he was such a sweetheart, Godric had programmed the date I rose vampire to be the temporary password. I leaned over the coffin to get a closer look at him, trying to decide where the best place would be to zap him with my light. Ultimately, I ended up zapping him lightly on the chest. One second his eyes were closed and the next he shot up into a sitting position. It all happened before I could pull back so we accidentally smacked our heads together.

Damn! I knew he was hardheaded, but seriously?

Unfortunately for me, Godric was 2,000 years old and much stronger than I was, so it hurt like a son of a bitch. Godric didn't seem to be hurting at all and started laughing like a gleeful maniac while I tenderly rubbed my forehead. He pushed me enough mirth to fill the Grand Canyon and I just responded by sending him a push that said he'd enjoy wearing a necklace made of garlic.

Godric laughed all over again, delighted by the pushes I send him whenever he embarrasses or irritates me, and took my offered hand so I could help pull him out of the coffin. He glanced around and noticed the dresser was covered in all my gadgets and gear, so he turned back to me and gave the bond a double tug while pushing me curiosity. I quickly opened up my shields, pushed my influence towards him, and listened with my mind.

 _You've used one stake, so I take it Franklin is dead and Lorena's been glamoured?_ he asked.

I shook my head no and sent, _Lorena attacked me before I could even begin tryin' to glamour her. I ended up stakin' her too… We can talk out loud, Godric, the jammer's been turned on._

He nodded absentmindedly, too focused on the fact that his month old progeny killed two vampires centuries older than her within the span of a couple hours. Godric was against unnecessary violence. He was trying to actively change the way he lived, but he also realized killing was inevitable if you were vampire, so he taught me how to defend myself and prepared me for the eventuality of killing someone. He didn't just stop with my training after teaching me the basic moves involved in self-defense though; we started sparring soon after and Godric used that opportunity to relentlessly hammer the idea I should never kill innocents into my brain. By doing so, Godric effectively linked fighting and the bloodshed of innocents together in my mind, conditioning me to think through any bout of violence before I act and avoid harming any innocents involved.

"Tara's an innocent, master. Franklin was plannin' on turnin' her tonight without her consent," his head whipped up at this and he looked at me with shock while fury galloped across the bond, "If I didn't kill Lorena, she would've killed me or turned me in to Russell and Tara would be the slave of a psychotic vampire for eternity. I did what I had to," I explained quietly.

I was worried he thought I killed her unnecessarily and I couldn't tell what Godric was feeling at the moment because he was too conflicted. His emotions were bouncing back and forth and I was getting dizzy just trying to follow them. Finally, Godric took a couple steps towards me and placed his hands on my upper arms while he whispered, "I'm proud of you, Sookie. I know you wouldn't end her without cause. I was just worried about the likelihood it'll come back to haunt us. We only planned to glamour her and we didn't work out all the angles of her possible death. I'm concerned Russell will figure it out."

I pushed him reassurance and an incredible amount of confidence as I then started summarizing everything I'd gone through today, "Master, the guards had manacled Compton and chained him to the floor. Someone then hung the keys way up…"

When I finished recounting the day's events, he was wearing another one of his famous shit-eating grins. I could feel through the bond that he was incredibly impressed with how I took out Lorena, threw away the evidence by literally burning it, and glamoured the wolves to take the blame. My improvised version to cover up Lorena's death turned out to be loads better than what we had originally planned. We had planned to glamour Lorena into letting Bill go, making it look like she had set him free, and then I'd pop him back here and load him into my coffin just like I did before.

Glamouring Lorena into giving up Bill just wouldn't mesh very well with what we knew of her personality. From what we'd seen of her since we arrived, it was obvious she wanted to keep Bill with her at all times, not let him go. On top of that, she would've let Bill go as instructed if the glamour worked, but she probably would've called him back immediately afterwards. Now, because I glamoured the wolves into thinking this all happened before sunrise, it looked like she was feeding Bill _and_ getting ready to take off with him. If she was just releasing Bill, she would've fed him during the day and called someone to retrieve Bill since all the other vampires would've been dead for the day. However, if she was caught releasing him before sunrise, it would look like she was planning an escape for them both.

She was obsessed with Bill and glamouring her to let him go would only take her so far because there were limits to what we could successfully glamour a person into believing. The closer something was to the core of an individual, the harder it was to successfully glamour that something out of them (like Debbie and her addiction to V). Loving her progeny had definitely become fundamental to who Lorena was at her core and glamouring that out of her wouldn't last for long. This way, we had two "witnesses" to her demise and they would take the blame for Lorena's death. All our worries about the glamour holding up in Lorena completely evaporated because, now, there was no longer any Lorena to worry about.

"Should I glamour Bill into thinking Lorena released him, master?" I asked.

He thought everything through for a minute, analyzing all the angles and finally shook his head no, "Glamour him into thinking the two Were guards staked her and released him. Make it look like you glamoured the wolves into collecting him from Lorena and instructed them to meet with our dayman afterwards to turn him over to us. Lorena refused to give him up so they staked her. When the Magister questions him about it, he'll see you passed his test when he tortures Compton. Otherwise he might believe it to be a happy accident and we really don't need him issuing you another test. Compton won't remember seeing you when the sun had already risen this way either.'

"In all honesty, if there was a way to explain your presence during the daylight hours, I wouldn't have you glamour him at all. We were tasked with retrieving Compton and learning that you killed her in a fair fight would impress him, but it's too much of a risk letting Compton keep that knowledge."

I nodded and pushed him understanding. We fell silent for a moment before I felt Godric's curiosity start to rise in the bond. I gave him a questioning look and Godric smiled at me and flooded me with mischief and intrigue.

"Show me, Sookie. Show me what happened in the slave quarters. I want to see how you took down Lorena," Godric requested. Or ordered. Maybe it was a request and an order? Godric was really good at those.

Reluctantly, I dropped my shield and pushed my influence out to him while pulling with my telepathy and streamed him my memory of "rescuing" Bill. Even if I hadn't been watching with him, I still would've realized when the exact moment came that I landed on my ass in a Lorena-sized blood puddle because he started laughing hysterically. He could hear the thoughts I had during the memory too and found it hilarious that I thought Lorena still got the last word. When he opened his eyes again, he asked me to turn around. I did, not really understanding why he asked this of me, and I blushed harder than I ever had before when Godric started laughing all over again. He was looking at my ass and my pants where the blood coated it.

Is this what they call a blood moon?

Just as my patience started to run out, he said, "Obviously you want to take a shower. I'll watch over the gadgets and make sure nobody comes in while you go get cleaned up. When you're done, burn the pants."

I chuckled and snatched a towel from the wooden case containing all sorts of shower and bath goodies. I was seriously tempted to take a bath, but I didn't have time to enjoy it. I cleaned up at vamp speed and borrowed a hair dryer from beneath the sink. I dried my hair and moved on to adding a little bit of makeup and put on a dark red eyeshadow that I faded into black, added mascara and eyeliner, and topped it off with a shiny pink lip gloss. Then I opened up my bag and pulled out a pair of black jeans and an old red shirt, just in case Bill bled on me later.

After we finished at the hotel, I'd change out of it and put on a silk tank top that had five thin layers of overlapping fabric. Each layer was cut about four inches in length and overshadowed the top of another. The black straps crisscrossed over my back and the layers alternated colors with the first layer being red, then cream, back to red, and etc. A black belt was attached just beneath the bust, matching the straps at the top and the black hem at the bottom. My outfit for the rest of the day/night would then almost be complete.

I gathered up the cargo pants, quickly rechecked all the pockets, added my ruined shoes to the pile, and released a blast of sunlight to vaporize it all. I then focused my inner eye and pictured a pair of boots with stilettos and a pair of red fuck-me pumps I had at home and called them to me. I'd slip on the heels later and wear them at Fangtasia tonight. I put on the boots, effectively making myself four inches taller, and laced them up before slipping the pumps into my bag.

When I was done, I slung the bag over my shoulder and walked out to join Godric. I turned off the jammer so I could send Alcide a text to let him know we were ready but turned it right back on afterwards. While we waited, I asked Godric to redo my braid and he took the opportunity to teach me some more Swedish. When I recognized Alcide's mind approaching the mansion, I told Godric and we cleaned up and secured all the gadgets we brought at vamp speed. After we were done, Godric climbed back into his coffin and shut it, quickly falling back into death. I absorbed the light into my spark again and disappeared from view just as two guards opened the door.

The guards, who were Weres, picked up Godric's travel coffin and loaded it before coming back and doing the same with mine. I followed them out, waited until my coffin was loaded in the back of Alcide's work vehicle, and shot passed the guards and into the back before they could pull the door closed.

On the way over to the hotel, I made sure to call Eric, check-in, and demand he go to bed. Alcide checked us into a vampire friendly place called the Anubis Inn, which was part of a hotel chain owned and operated by the same people who created Anubis Air. They branched out and worked their way into travel accommodations of all sorts when they saw how well their night flights were doing.

After Alcide checked us in and unloaded all the coffins into our suite, I released my light again. I only had a couple of hours alone with Bill and had to make sure he fed before Alcide returned, so I worked quickly. I cleared a space out in the main room, pushing the furniture and coffee table up against the walls and then spread out a blue tarp, which I stole from Alcide's work things, along the floor. I pulled one of the heavy metal-framed chairs forward and placed it on the tarp. Bill had gone through a lot of torture last night, so I honestly wasn't planning on getting too violent with him… unless he refused to answer my questions. I spread the tarp out just in case. It'd be really difficult to explain blood stains to the managers of the hotel.

I pulled a cooler out from our pile of things that Alcide brought in and placed it over by the microwave before heating up a couple bags. Alcide stopped by the blood bank and purchased some bags for us (it's amazing how many blood banks for profit opened up after the great reveal) in case Bill needed human blood. While it heated, I slipped on the leather gloves again and walked over to Bill's coffin. Part of me just wanted to leave him in there and revel in his panic when he woke later and realized he was locked in, but the other part of me had waited too long for this talk.

Of course, there was an even darker part of me that wanted to _kill Bill_ , like the movie. I couldn't do that though, my bloodline was depending on us to deliver Bill to the Magister and get his focus off of us. Godric knew I wouldn't kill him because of that very fact and hadn't even commanded me not to because of it. My urge to protect my family outweighed my need for justice and he knew it.

But I could still have a little fun.

Decision made, I typed in the code, lifted the top, and plucked Bill out with my vampiric strength. I quickly sat him down on the chair and unlocked one of his wrists and used that free link to cuff him to the chair. He was strong enough to damage the chair if he really wanted to, but its weight would slow him down and hinder him just long enough for me to pop away if he lunged at me.

As soon as I laid eyes on that self-loathing asshole again, my emotions began to tighten and shrink, like my fairy side was tucking them away, hiding them deep inside. I felt myself becoming more predatory and aggressive the longer I looked at him. While I waited for the blood, I lazily stretched myself and flexed my muscles, loosening myself up. The microwave went off and I snatched up the bags at vamp speed and dumped them back into the cooler. I sank my fangs into one as I walked back over to Bill and drank it, needing to settle myself and reinforce my current zen-like behavior before I woke him up.

I quickly trashed the empty bag and set the cooler down next to my own chair a couple feet away. I tested the strength of his chains again before taking a step back, out of arm's reach, and leaned over and gave his bare and bloody chest a nice, strong zap of sunlight.

While he screeched like a banshee and flinched, I chuckled to myself and taunted him with a pat on the cheek, "Wakey, wakey, Beehl. We need to have a little talk."

He watched me sit down and pick up the cooler with furrowed brows while his mind tried to figure out where he was. As he took in his surroundings, he realized we were no longer in Russell's mansion and relief started to swell within him. I opened the cooler, pulled out a blood bag, and held it up in question. His fangs dropped and he nodded while licking his lips. I chucked it at him and he reached up and caught it with vampire reflexes.

With the hand that was still chained.

He followed the chain with his eyes back to where it was cuffed to the chair and realized his feet were also still bound.

"Sookeh?"

"Drink," I commanded.

He bit into the bag and drank, since there really wasn't much else he could do when he felt this weak, but kept his eyes on me. The more he drank, the clearer his thoughts became and he was starting to grasp the enormity of the situation he had found himself in. Bill thought I was saving him earlier, now he was finally beginning to understand there was a very real possibility I hadn't been rescuing him at all…

I had been hunting him.

When he finished the bag he dropped it on the tarp by his feet. Alarm shot through him when he noticed the tarp and the hairs on the back of his neck started to rise.

"Here's the deal, Bill. You answer my questions and I'll give you more blood. You don't answer them," I said lazily and smiled sinisterly as I pulled out my silver dagger, "and you'll be givin' me blood instead."

His eyes widened and he nodded slowly. He swallowed once and said, "Sookie, I have not felt your presence in over a month. I thought you had died, sweetheart. You can ask me anything, of course, but do you really need to chain me up to do it?"

"Oh, I think so," I nodded, "I remember another meetin' the two us of had where I thought I would be safe being alone with you and got the shit beaten out of me instead. Do you remember that, Bill?" I asked and he winced. "Do you remember havin' two psychos nearly beat me to death so you could drown me in blood?"

He cleared his throat nervously and looked away from me. His mind answered my question before he could even open his mouth and I watched as Bill glamoured the Rats into attacking me. He glamoured them to specifically bring me to death's door and watched it all happen. Then he swooped in to save me, pretending to be my knight in shining armor when really he was the villain in this fairytale.

Bill quickly put two and two together and realized I already knew about the queen and that he was sent to procure me, so he kept his eyes trained on the floor and answered me softly, "I was ordered by Sophie-Anne, Sookie. I had no choice."

I pulled a blood bag out of the cooler and tossed it to him for answering honestly. He immediately bit in and drank. When he finished, I asked another question, playing with my dagger absentmindedly while I spoke, "Were you ever gonna tell me?"

"I hoped to, some day, I swear it," he said with a pleading voice. "I did not know why she wanted you. As I got to know you, I purposefully kept you from her."

That wasn't an honest answer. First off, he did know why his queen wanted me. He figured it out and realized I was part Fae. After hours and hours of research, he had learned about some day-walking myth that claimed Fae blood worked like some type of vampire sunscreen, protecting those who drank it from the rays of the sun. Secondly, Bill planned to always keep me in the dark. He never wanted me to learn the truth and he figured if he drugged me enough, I'd never find out or ask him about it either. Instead of confronting him, I tossed him another bag and let him start digging his own grave.

After he finished that one too, I asked, "How long would that have lasted, Bill? How long did you honestly think you could keep me from her? You should've told me. If you had ever cared for me, you would've told me and we would've worked out what to do next together."

"But I do care for you, Sookie. I had already found a solution, sweetheart. I planned on asking for your hand after we got back from Dallas. I even bought a ring and plane tickets to Vermont. After we married, I would've told you everything. We would've seen the world together and I could've kept you safe from her," he said with a wistful smile on his face.

The disturbing thing was, he actually believed I would've gone along with that. He believed we would've gotten married and we would've toured the world. He convinced himself I would forget all about my family and friends in Bon Temps and we would never return to Louisiana. That way, Bill would be everything to me. He would be my whole world.

And I would be his telepath on a leash, favorite blood bag and personal sunscreen.

When I caught that stray tidbit floating around in his thoughts, I pushed myself even deeper into his thoughts than I had before and started analyzing just what Bill Compton really thought of me. I combed his mind for everything he truly felt and learned instantly that he wasn't in love with me. He had never been in love with me. He had been fascinated with me. I was a mystery to him, one that he was determined to solve. When he got his blood in me, the intensity and purity of my emotions had blown him away and made him even more curious. And after he drank my blood? Well, he was already becoming addicted to my emotions and how I tasted just sealed the deal for him.

He was obsessed with me and literally addicted to three things about me, none of which being my character. Feeling my emotions, drinking my blood, and the way I made him feel all combined into a pretty package? It made me intoxicating to him. Then there was my naïveté and lack of knowledge of the supe world, which made me even more irresistible to someone like Bill. For the first time in his undeath, someone treated him like he was a godsend. He loved seeing the devotion in my eyes and knowing he was a hero to me. He thrived on that knowledge.

When that devotion started fading from my eyes and I began challenging him more and more, he made a decision to flood me with more blood. The maenad's attack was an act of extremely good luck in Bill's eyes. He realized he might not get another chance to feed me for a while and decided he would soak the flame of stubbornness and fight still burning within me with as much blood as possible. Bill took that opportunity to try to force enough blood down my throat to suppress my freewill, attempting to turn me into a blood slave, but his plan was interrupted and halted when Eric commented on how much he was feeding me.

Did I mention I loved that smug Viking? Because if I hadn't, I really should.

"Yeah," I scoffed, "that's incredibly romantic Bill. I could see why you would wanna marry me. Who wouldn't want his own personal pet telepath? And what a way to keep a supply of delicious blood handy! Sounds like the ideal marriage to me. It's a bummer that I'm vampire now, huh?"

Not for me though. I now had a set of snappy teeth I could use to tear his throat out.

His eyes widened again and he vehemently shook his head before dropping his voice an octave and thickening his Southern drawl as he argued, "No. It is who you are, Sookie, not what you are that I love, and will love always. Until I meet the true death!"

My fangs dropped and I vamped forward, coming to a stop in front of him in a crouch. He flinched backwards while I growled, not prepared in the slightest for my reaction. I used my voice in an understated way, coming across as eerily calm as I spoke, "Love? You don't even get to use that word."

The hairs on his arm stood on end and a chill slid down his spine. He opened his mouth to say something else equally dramatic and frustrating, so I just cut him off.

"You manipulated me into fallin' in love with you!" I spat out at him.

"No!" he argued. "No, the love you felt for me was real. Your feelings were genuine!" he yelled back. I was incredibly grateful Godric had booked a room that was sound-proof in that moment.

I reached out and slapped him. And I slapped him _hard_. His head whipped to the side from the force of it and a loud crack echoed through the room, the sound of my palm hitting his cheek.

"You and I both know that's not true, Bill," I whispered. He slowly turned his head back to look at me with an extremely guilty expression. "I know what love feels like now. The love I feel? It's so much _stronger_ than what you forced on me," I said in a soft and seductive voice, "You've felt the strength of my emotions, Bill. Can you imagine what I feel now?" I sighed longingly. "How intense and wonderful and beautiful it would be to experience love from me?" I smiled to myself, giving him the impression I was caught up in that feeling right then and there before I murmured, "It's the most beautiful thing I have ever encountered."

His brows furrowed and curiosity started to overwhelm him. Bill did remember. In fact, he couldn't forget it. The emotions he felt from me had been the most intense in his life and he had never felt more _human_ than he did when he felt what I felt. Feeling my emotions had kick-started his own, kick-started something that he had thought to be lost for eternity. After so many years at Lorena's side, Bill had begun to truly feel monstrous, to feel empty, and I brought him back from that dark abyss without even trying and made him feel renewed. He felt things for the first time in decades when he was with me. He felt like a human man, which is what truly got him addicted to me. That's what he craved most, after all, to be human again.

"Who?" he asked. "Who brought that out in you, Sookie?"

"It's so powerful, Bill," I continued in a dreamy voice, ignoring him. "It burns so brightly, so intensely. It flows through my veins like sunlight and I swear it physically warms me. Can you imagine being caressed by hundreds of hands all at once? Being blanketed in thousands of tender kisses and embraced by light itself?"

"Who? Who, Sookie?" he asked desperately and his mind churned with envy.

Love had been the one emotion Bill couldn't evoke in me. He had flushed my veins with his blood and done everything he could to make me love him, but it hadn't worked. My emotions had been so utterly unique and intoxicating that he had tried to flush out as many as possible in a sadistic attempt to experience every human emotion through me, which was something I'd gleaned from his memories. Eventually, he forced his own experience with love on me, hoping he could kick-start my own ability to love like I had kick-started so many emotions in him, a pathetically desperate attempt to see that warmth in my eyes. It was literally eating him up on the inside to think someone had gotten me to feel that in less than a month when he hadn't been able to.

I smiled sinisterly again and his stomach dropped, suddenly afraid of my answer. I pulled my braid over my shoulder and ran my fingers along it so he could see the Viking hairstyle. His eyes narrowed when he noticed it and I stroked it tenderly as I whispered, "Eric."

He snarled and tried to move forward but the silver rubbed painfully against his skin. He wasn't strong enough yet to move aggressively and battle that pain at the same time so he immediately collapsed back into the chair. Burnt flesh filled the air and he hissed, " _Eric?_ " I nodded and smiled again. "Eric could never love you, Sookie. He will never love you. He will _use_ you."

And what? Bill hadn't?

Jealousy, rage, and envy were clouding his thoughts, turning them black and snarly. It was driving him mad to be compared to Eric, especially since the comparison was not going in his favor.

I rolled my eyes at him and said, "Well, even if that were true, and it isn't, I love him, Bill. And feelin' that love? It just makes it painfully clear to me that I never loved _you_." He started actually shaking in his seat with rage. When I asked the next question though, he froze completely, becoming preternaturally still. "Who was it, Bill? Who was it that you felt love for? You pushed that emotion to me but you never actually felt it for me."

He looked away and protested, "I did love you. That was what I felt for you."

Well, now we were getting somewhere. He just admitted he had sent me love when a second ago he had been adamant that feeling was my own.

Genuine my ass.

"No," I said slowly while his mind answered the question with a name his mouth refused to form. "No, you didn't. Is this how you felt for Caroline, Bill? Your wife?"

He jerked and turned back to look at me with vamp speed.

"It is, isn't it? You tried to turn me into Caroline," I said incredulously while he shook his head in denial. "I'm not her, Bill. You've always tried to treat me like someone I'm not. Now, I know who. I've never been the type to stand on the sidelines if people I know and love are hurtin' when I know I could do somethin' about it. You? You tried to suppress that urge, put out that fire. You wanted me to be the typical Southern flower who watched as her big, strong man took care of everythin' for her." I tsked him like he was a toddler and added, "Ya know, Eric doesn't treat me like that. Instead of tryin' to put out that spark, he fans it into a flame. Then he sits down and warms his hands with the heat from it. He _enjoys_ it."

 _"_ _Eric_ is an idiot," he muttered.

I laughed. Bill Compton calling Eric an idiot? Now that was funny.

Silence filled the room when my laughter trailed off and I lowered my voice, making it icier than a ski run in the Alps, when I said, "You tried to force me to be somethin' I'm not. Tried to compel me to do somethin' that just wasn't in my nature… just like your maker did to you. _Just like Lorena_."

"I am not Lorena!" he snarled viciously and his fangs dropped.

I shook my head sadly and argued, "You have the potential to do so much good in this world, Bill. With the strength of your glamour, you could help people. You could glamour those in pain not to feel it, help those with severe phobias get over their fears, treat people suffering from trauma and glamour the hurt right out of them. So much good… if only you put that devious and manipulative mind to better uses. Instead? You used your hold on me through the blood to pull my strings like a puppet. Just like Lorena did with her hold on you through her blood and the maker's command."

"I am not my maker!" he growled.

"Really, Bill?" I asked calmly. I stood up slowly and started weaving my dagger in and out of my fingers like a coin trick I once saw, completely ignoring the burn while I circled him, stalking him like a lion would as I laid out my trap. "Maybe you should really think about this, because I'm pretty sure I see some similarities."

The entire time we had been talking, I had been rummaging through his mind and collecting memories for this precise moment, especially the recent memory of the conversation he had with Lorena. I had been sifting through them, mining for memories in which he had abused his vampire abilities like I was an old-timer panning for gold. I collected them all and stored them in a corner of my mind as I led Bill further down the rabbit hole. Now I was going to give him a glimpse into the looking glass.

When we were done, I wouldn't be surprised if he was as mad as a hatter.

"The things you've done, Bill," I sighed out. "Caroline would be so disappointed." He hung his head a split-second before I started streaming his own memories back to him. I began with the women Lorena forced him to lure in. They were so innocent, so hopeful. Like me, they originally found his Southern façade charming. Like me, they thought he was the perfect Southern gentleman. Like me, they judged a book by the cover.

I _really_ should've known better. I was telepathic and I knew for a fact some of the best looking people in the world had insides that would make a person's skin crawl.

Ted Bundy, for example.

Bill started to tremble as he watched. When I was done with those, I fluidly transitioned his thoughts into memories of him and Lorena making love as they killed them. I showed him their faces, slowing down the speed of the memories to linger on them as they cried out for help. Then I moved on to the memories of the times _he_ had instigated the hunts. Bill had been an active participant. After a few years of watching Lorena do these things, he figured to hell with it, shrugged his shoulders, and joined in. He was not an innocent bystander. Knowing he had done all these things literally made me want to vomit. He had touched me with those same hands and that knowledge disgusted me.

"I stopped," he gasped. A couple blood tears had escaped and now the room was full of the wretched scent that accompanied his blood. "I stopped and made Lorena release me. I couldn't handle it anymore. I would never have done those things if it hadn't been for Lorena."

Yes, it was true, he did stop. But, honestly, he gave up one atrocious act for another. Instead of taking their lives with his own hands, he collected them and turned them over to others. He didn't deliver the killing blow, but he still handed down the death sentence.

I leaned down and whispered in his ear, now standing behind him, "Really, Bill? Did you? You used to lure them in for Lorena. Now you lure them in for monarchs. You can't blame their deaths on Lorena, can you?"

I restarted the memory reel again, slower this time, and replayed the memories of every person he had ever procured. He whimpered as he watched and more blood streamed down his face. I showed him what they looked like before he had taken them, many of them fresh and hopeful, not like the depressed stripper he collected for Russell. Then I showed him what they looked like once they became blood slaves. I slowed the pace down even more and added in the memories he had of their fates, at least of the ones he had encountered later. Some of them were even drained right in front of him. Others spent weeks under the thumb of a vampire before their bodies gave out. The truly unfortunate ones were forcefully kept alive by vampire blood. And the ones I wish had died? They were turned and now serving out their eternities under vicious and abusive masters.

"You still enjoy watching the light fade out from their eyes…" I said in a condescending tone. Bill's entire frame shook as a sob wracked his body. I finally stopped the influx of memories after I replayed the memory of having me beaten to drown me in blood. I leaned down once again to speak in his ear, whispering something else I had pulled from a memory, the same words he had said to Lorena earlier this morning, "She made you her mirror."

"No!" he shouted as blood dripped down his cheeks.

"Yes," I murmured and stood up, "You did embrace her nature after all, Bill. You just acted it out in a different way."

I walked back around and took my seat in front of him, studying him. His face was covered in blood and he held himself like a broken man. There wasn't much else I could do to Bill Compton to hurt him. Lorena had massacred him earlier and he still hadn't broken. He looked more lost now than he did after years of torment and abuse at her side. I could feel my thirst for vengeance slowly receding, I felt sated.

"You. You're doing this, aren't you? You're forcing this on me."

Godric commanded me the night I rose vampire never to tell anyone about my Fae gifts, so I didn't confirm or deny it, I let him form his own conclusions and shrugged. He reached up and wiped his face as he thought through it all. I brought his attention back to me when I asked, "How does it feel, Bill? How does it feel to have somethin' so powerful forced on you by somebody you thought loved you?" I looked down and cleaned my nails as I then whispered, "Does it hurt?"

Another tear slid down his cheek during the ensuing silence before he finally nodded and choked out, "Yes, yes it does. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Sookie."

For once, he answered me honestly.

"It's not enough to be sorry, Bill. What's done is done and you can't change it," I sighed. "I'm the one who's sorry. I'm sorry the kin of all those other people you killed and procured won't get justice, but I guess turnin' you into the Magister for the sellin' of vampire blood will have to do…"

With my words he brought his eyes up from the spot he'd been studying on the floor and he tiredly asked, "What do you mean?"

I quickly pushed my glamour towards him and said in a voice that dripped sex, "Eric never sold V for the queen, Bill. You did. You sold the blood right out of your own home and even attempted to blackmail Lafayette into sellin' it for you. You didn't think you would need to use your glamour on him and thought a simple threat would suffice. The queen called you and warned you the Magister was lookin' into the uptick in V related crime in the area and you panicked. You called your maker for advice, but she used it against you and told her sovereign, who then had you kidnapped. What a stupid move."

He nodded in agreement and gave me a sheepish smile as he robotically said, "Really stupid."

In reality, it wasn't far off from the truth. He hadn't called Lorena for advice, but I read from Lorena's mind that she had been bribing several people in Sophie-Anne's court for information 24/7 on her progeny. Someone had overheard something about the queen punishing Bill for my death by providing her with his own blood to sell and reported it to Lorena. Before Bill got involved, the queen had been using her own blood and that of her progenies. After Bill screwed up in Dallas, at least in her opinion, she told him he was going to start ''earning his keep" since he had obviously failed at procuring me and began draining him on a daily basis during the two weeks of his punishment. Once he was released, he had to report back to her compound every three days to make another donation to the crown.

I'd feel guilty, but that would be impossible after seeing how many lives Bill had ruined.

"Yeah. Idiotic," I said with a nod and a bright smile. The idiot smiled back. "And earlier today, I didn't come for you. Two of Russell's wolves did. Surprisingly, it looked like they had actually been glamoured into freeing you. Lorena didn't wanna give you up so they fought and somehow managed to stake her. Then they collected you and put you in a travel coffin before drivin' you out to meet Godric's dayman, another Were. The dayman brought you to the hotel and turned you over to us. I woke you from your rest with silver. You never saw me in the slave quarters. I was never there."

"Of course not, Sookie," he laughed. "How would you have gotten there? The Weres came for me."

I leaned forward then, resting my elbows on my knees and fiddling with my knife, and added, "And you will remember everythin' we talked about for the rest of your life. As far as you know, I'm not telepathic, but I did make you take a good, hard look at yourself, didn't I?"

When he thought about how I had asked him how it felt, he would think I was referring to how he felt being reminded of something so serious and painful. He'd probably even assume the Were guards had overhead his conversation with Lorena and reported it back to me. Thinking I was telepathic would be the one thing he wouldn't do, though, thanks to my glamour.

His smile fell and he agreed in a solemn tone, "Yes, yes you did."

"And you will never call me sweetheart again, will you?" I asked in an icy tone.

"No, I won't."

I pulled back the glamour, stood up, and said, flatly, "The Magister figured it out, Bill. He knows about your side business sellin' blood. It's why we came for you."

Bill sat in silence, thinking about everything he had remembered today and what lay in store for him, as I walked over to my coffin, the one I owned, and pulled out a small necklace and a much thicker, long silver chain. I vamped back over to Bill and looped the chain around his other arm before he could react and secured it. He just sat there, too wounded from the earlier exchange to give a shit what happened to him now.

I vamped back in front of him, crouched before him, and said in a dark tone that made him shiver, "There's one more thing, Bill. You fuckin' took my virginity from me knowin' I didn't care for you and you owe me a blood debt. Consider this repayment."

I then dropped the silver necklace down the front of his pants and stood up while he screamed. He'd burn for hours and I was sure nobody would be removing it when we got to Fangtasia. I'd cut it off, but I'd already touched that thing more than I'd wanted to in one lifetime. Besides, I had a feeling Godric or Eric would want that honor.

When he kept screaming like a pansy, I picked up an end table and brought it down on his head. Thankfully, it worked and I knocked him out. He'd stay in his day-rest state until sunset. I'd pay for the damages to the room later.


	32. Chapter 32: Let the Games Begin

**_A/N:_**

 _"_ _I get Sookie to agree to bond with me and you make me wait by taking four days to update?" Eric growls and comes toward me._

 _I duck behind Godric and throw my hands up while pleading, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just-"_

 _"_ _No excuses, TB Viking Addict!" he yells and lunges at me._

 _Godric's hand shoots out and holds him in place while he reasons, "Come now, Eric. You were in dayrest the entire time. The only one who truly suffered was the procurer. Besides, if you drain her then you'll never bond with Sookie."_

 _Eric's shoulders slump in defeat and he reluctantly says, "Fine. But I want an update_ _ **now**_ _."_

 _Well, you all heard Eric. I really want to remain among the living, so here's my next chapter._

 _Oh, wait! Shh, Eric. I'm getting there. This is important. Thank you to everyone who nominated me for the New Blood Awards! I've been nominated for the Newcomer Award, the Saucy Award for best Sookie, the Viking Award for best Eric (Eric purrs in the background), and the New Blood Award for best story. Nominations close June 12, so make sure to stop by then and vote._

 _One last thing, I'm now on wordpress. The amazing and talented 4padfoot has created one for me and designed a cool banner, so stop by and check them out at tbvikingaddict. wordpress. com (without the spaces). I will still be updating here, so don't panic._

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: True Blood and SVM are owned by Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO. I own nothing. I just write chapters and post updates when Eric growls at me._

* * *

 **EPOV**

When I rose for the night, I could feel in my blood that Sookie and Godric were no longer in Jackson. In fact, they were somewhere out in the bar. I decided to rest at Fangtasia the night before, knowing Alcide planned to drop them off here. After speaking with Sookie earlier in the day, I retreated to one of the backrooms where we stored the coffins, in case we ever needed to crash here, and secured it before succumbing to the sun's pull. Longshadow, in particular, liked going to rest at Fangtasia. Sometimes it was extremely convenient.

We had to burn his coffin when he died. Apparently he liked snacking before bed.

I sighed with relief at feeling them so close and pushed the top of my coffin open and climbed out. It had been difficult staying in Shreveport when I knew the blood pack's master was in Jackson. It had been even more difficult staying here when I knew Sookie and Godric were literally feet away from him.

Like I told Godric, I didn't want to lose another family.

I knew Sookie could take care of herself, but she had a nasty habit of attracting trouble anywhere she went. The entire time they were in Russell's compound, I sat on pins and needles. I didn't relax any with Sookie's phone call, worried they'd been followed after leaving the property, but I forced myself to go to rest anyway. The sun was out and they had retrieved Bill, so the only thing left to do was wait and see if they would make it across the state border unmolested.

I opened one of the lockers where I kept spare clothing and pulled on a fresh black shirt, a pair of jeans, and a leather jacket before heading out to the bar. They were already up, of course, and sitting on stools with cups of donor blood in their hands. Sookie spun around in her seat when I came out and said, "Oh good! You're up!"

I vamped over to her, slipped between her legs, and promptly cleaned her lips of blood.

I'd missed doing that while she was in Jackson.

"Well, hello to you too," she said when I pulled back. I licked the last of the blood off my lips and smirked at her.

"Where's my hello kiss?" Godric joked with a serious expression.

"Go find your own," Sookie grumbled and we both laughed.

I took the now empty cup from her hand and set it on the bar before settling my hands on her hips and asked, "Everything go okay? With Compton?"

Mischief surfaced in her blood and she flashed me a wicked grin, "Everything went just fine for me. Can't say the same for him."

Glee erupted in Godric's veins and lust shot up in my own. I looked over my shoulder and eyed the still closed travel coffin that must've contained Bill before turning back to Sookie with a quirked eyebrow, "Well he's still among the undead. That's good, I suppose. For now."

I was disappointed I missed their reunion. I would've loved seeing Bill's reaction when he realized she was not the same Sookie he remembered. And watching Sookie put Bill is in his place? Well, it just replaced seeing Sookie rise vampire as my new favorite fantasy.

And she wasn't even naked in it.

"He should be risin' soon," she said while glaring over my shoulder at the coffin. She brought her eyes back to mine when she added, "I glamoured him into thinkin' he sold V from his house and tried to blackmail Lafayette. I also made him forget he ever knew you were being forced to sell it. I didn't ask 'bout the program, though. I figured you both would wanna be there for that."

Godric and I nodded. I pushed myself a little closer to her and lowered my voice, enjoying her responding shiver, when I asked, "I'd really like to see how that talk went, Sookie. Will you show me?"

She bit her lip in contemplation for a moment and hesitance and indecision filled our tie before she replied, "Maybe later. I wanna pop our stuff back to Bon Temps before the staff gets here. Let me up."

With reluctance, I backed up and helped her to her feet. I took her place on the stool and sat down next to Godric as she walked over to one of their coffins and popped away with it.

"Did she show you?" I asked him.

He shook his head, "She told me the same thing, that she'd show me later. I'm guessing it was personal, Eric. There's so much anger in the bond when she talks about her past relationship with him. She'll show us when she's ready. Don't press her on it."

Sookie popped back into view and snatched another coffin before disappearing again.

I nodded in response to Godric while I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to keep my worry from leaking into our bond. It concerned me that Sookie was so hesitant to show us what happened. Was she beating herself up about it? Did she get too violent with him and was nervous about how we would react? Did he say something to her she didn't want us to hear? It was at times like this that I wished we had a full bond. If we were bonded, I'd be able to feel what she was hesitant about exactly. With the current strength of the tie we had, I couldn't tell if she was hesitant to show us specifically or if she was reluctant to show _anybody_ what happened earlier. Though, it was also very possible that Godric was right and it was just too personal for her to share at the moment.

We both watched Sookie when she reappeared. She picked up a bag and slung it over her shoulder. As she reached down to pick up the other bag, Bill woke up. Muffled screams started coming from the coffin and Godric and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Sookie chuckled and pushed us mirth and amusement before turning to the coffin and kicking it.

The screams quieted and turned into curses and Sookie teased, "It's just a little silver, Bill. Get over it and _vamp up_!"

My lips twitched and Godric burst out laughing. Sookie turned to us and winked before dropping the bag she held to the floor, grabbed the handle on the coffin, and started pulling it towards the basement. I vamped over and opened the door for her, earning me a caress through the tie, and she flung the coffin down the stairs. Travel coffins were nearly indestructible so, yes, it would hurt, but the coffin itself wouldn't break. We both looked down the stairs and laughed when we realized that Bill had landed upside down. On top of being bound with silver, his weight was now resting on his face.

"Thanks, cowboy," she said and stood on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek before vamping back over to pick up the bags she dropped earlier.

Cowboy?

I _liked_ it.

Which she could feel since our tie was now being showered in lust. She giggled when she felt it and slapped me on the back of the head with her blood. While I rubbed it tenderly with a frown on my face, she turned to Godric and said, "I'm gonna unpack this stuff. I'll be back in five to ten if I move quickly."

He nodded and she popped away again. I walked back over to the bar and returned to my seat, angling myself towards Godric, and said, "Master, I'd like to have my own little chat with Compton before calling the Magister. Will you be joining me?"

I could feel with my blood that Godric had drastically changed since the last time I saw him. Not only was he happier and revitalized, I could tell he'd also changed his outlook on life. In all honesty, he used to be more bloodthirsty. Since he opened up the bond, however, I could feel he didn't revel in violence like he used to. There was still an appreciation for a good battle in his blood, but he had evolved when it came to things like torture and his view on humanity. I was still figuring out if that was a good thing.

Then again, if Sookie brought about this change, it probably was.

"I do not enjoy these things as much as I used to, Eric. But for what this procurer did to Sookie? Well, I don't think it will be difficult for me to find some pleasure in the act," he admitted and pushed me mischief.

I nodded with a smile on my face. Godric had always had a talent for breaking a man and it would be a genuine pleasure to watch him use that talent on the sanctimonious prick that was Bill Compton. We fell into contemplative silence for a moment, both of us probably picturing what we would like to do to Bill, before I remembered what I talked about with Sookie two nights ago.

I tore myself from my bloody fantasies and turned my attention back to Godric. Technically, I should've addressed it with him first before broaching the subject of exchanging with Sookie, since she was still under a year old. The very topic made me nervous though. Godric had trained me to always keep my emotions under control and for most of my existence that's exactly what I did. When Sookie strolled into my life, she brought a torrent of uncontrollable emotions with her. I could no longer maintain that hold on everything I felt and it worried me a little to bring this up with him. I wanted to bond with her, to immerse myself in the emotions she had awakened in me and share them with her. I wanted her to do the same with her emotions and I wasn't sure how Godric would react to that. He gave me a puzzled look when my nerves leaked into the bond and, after a moment of psyching myself up, I confessed the cause to him, "Two nights ago, I asked Sookie to exchange with me, master. She agreed and we planned on completing an exchange tonight."

His eyebrows soared and he gave me an incredulous expression. Cautiously, he asked, "You wish to bind yourself to my youngest progeny? Who is not even a year old?" My mouth ran dry when he asked me this so I just nodded. Then the worst thing I could've imagined possible happened, he shut down our bond. My eyes widened and before I could say another word, he gave me a look that made me shudder and said, "As your maker, I command you not to bond with Sookie."

I flinched when I felt the command take root and started to panic. Before I could beg him to reconsider, he opened the bond again and his glee, mirth, amusement, and mischief poured in. I looked at him with a bewildered expression and he laughed, "I release you from the command, Eric. You can exchange with her."

What an _asshole_.

As soon as I felt the command lift, I punched him in the face, breaking his nose. Of course, this just amused him even more and he doubled over laughing. I glared at him while holding my fist (I punched him fucking hard) with my other hand. When the laughter subsided, I accused, "You already knew. You planned this."

He nodded while grabbing a cocktail napkin off the bar and wiped up the blood dripping from his nose, "Sookie unwittingly told me. We were discussing Jessica and I asked her if she had felt the pull. I had to explain to her what the pull felt like and she told me she hadn't felt that towards Jessica, but she did feel something similar towards you."

What?

I didn't even have a chance to ask him what he was talking about when he continued, "Do you remember how you felt when Sookie brought down her light shield? When she revealed herself after the hunt?"

I thought back to that moment and realized I had also felt something similar to the maker's pull. At the time, I had been too preoccupied with the fact Sookie was alive to give a shit about what feeling it meant. I raised my eyebrows at Godric and he nodded before explaining, "She felt that same pull when she saw you in the bar speaking to Sophie-Anne. It's the pull to bond, min son. I explained that to her and she asked me if that pull forced the need to bond with her on you, thus revealing you asked her to exchange with you."

I was over a thousand years old. Very few things surprised me anymore, yet Sookie managed to shock me at least once a night. Sookie wasn't even in Shreveport and she'd done it once again because, at the moment, I was pretty sure Godric could blow air in my face and it would knock me off the stool. Not once had it occurred to me that I had experienced the bonding pull. Like rising early, it was considered a myth and it was just so rare that I had dismissed it as a possibility without a second thought. Less than a second thought, really, because it had never even entered my mind.

"That's-"

"Rare? Yes, it is," Godric interrupted. "It's also amazing. You will be able to stay together for eternity if you chose to complete a third level bond. Was that your plan? Do you want a permanent bond with Sookie?"

Hope and tenderness was pulsing in the bond and I just studied him for a moment before I gave him a small nod. Joy overtook the hope and he slapped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it once while giving me a beautiful smile.

I knew I would never get bored with Sookie.

Bonding was an extremely rare and sacred thing in the vampire world. Exchanging wasn't quite as rare, but very few of us still ever did it. Vampires who formed nests and lived in them for several years often formed first level bonds with their nestmates to form a tighter unit and having those bonds allowed them to tolerate each other better and live together longer than the average nest usually did. By doing so, they understood each other on a deeper level and clashed with each other less. Bloodlines also often developed first level bonds with the others in their lines, especially siblings who traveled with their maker at the same time. I'd have to explain to Sookie at some point that I wasn't looking to exchange with her to establish a sibling bond, though I had a feeling she already understood that.

I also had a feeling she hadn't realized I wanted to form a permanent one.

I really wasn't looking forward to pointing it out to her either.

And I'd rip the head off of anyone who dared call me a chicken for it.

Sookie chose that moment to pop back in, so Godric and I automatically shifted into another gear. She walked over to us while Godric started summarizing everything the rest of us had missed when Sookie strapped on her spy gear and flitted around unseen during the day. She propped an arm on my shoulder and I pulled her closer and wrapped my own around her waist. When Godric got to the part where Sookie apparently killed Bill's maker, my mouth dropped open and I turned my head to look at her in surprise, which was echoed by my blood. I quirked an eyebrow at her and asked, "You staked Lorena?"

She nodded and shot me a sheepish smile. I gave her a slow, boyish grin that quickly turned into a laugh. I pushed her pride and pleasure while desperately hoping she'd show me at some point. I never would've believed a month old newborn could take down a five hundred old vampire before I met Sookie.

And I was never happier to be wrong.

"She showed me. It was a fair kill," Godric said with his own grin.

"You killed her in a fight?" I ask and pushed them both my astonishment. They nodded and I mused, "Well, I guess if you can beat a vampire over 500 years old in a fight, Thalia's instincts were spot on."

Thalia only ever trained vampires over 500 years old, yet she had claimed Sookie as an apprentice. I guess something about how Sookie acted made Thalia's instincts scream Sookie could handle her particular brand of training. Those instincts were undoubtedly right if Sookie was able to best Lorena in a fair fight.

I was less surprised, though still impressed, when Godric mentioned Franklin. Pam, Jessica, and I had all been watching when Sookie discovered Franklin had kidnapped her friend Tara. The emotional pain and hurt she had experienced when Tara begged for help was so painful that her very blood cried out. All of us had immediately reached out through our ties to comfort her, reinforcing her with strength and support as she left Tara there and walked off with Talbot. I never wanted her to experience that kind of pain again and it just about killed me knowing I couldn't be there to help her with it.

When Godric finished their tale, I asked, "Where's the evidence now? I want Pam to make copies of it before we give it to the Magister."

"I put it on your desk," Sookie said.

I nodded and stood up, "I'll stick it in the safe before the staff gets here and then we can go grill Compton about that program."

When I returned, I slung an arm over Sookie's shoulders and we headed down to the basement. Godric chuckled at the sight of the upside down coffin and picked it up to carry it over to the table stashed inside the room.

The torture table.

"Before you guys get too hands on, I want Jess to have a chance to speak with him. She needs a little closure and I don't want her to see her maker all bruised and bloody," Sookie said. We pushed her acceptance and she caressed us into purring for our agreement.

Godric popped the top of the coffin off before lifting a bloody and whimpering Bill up. Burnt flesh and the taint of vampire blood immediately filled the air and Sookie scrunched up her nose when the scent hit her. Bill's clothing was shredded and his hands were bound with silver behind his back. Sookie had obviously done that on purpose. She wanted to make him as uncomfortable as possible when he woke from his day death. It must've been extremely painful for him when she tossed him down the stairs.

"Is all this blood from your, uh, talk, lover?" I asked as I ran my eyes over him.

She shook her head emphatically and said, "Nooo. That would be Lorena's handiwork. I just slapped him, dropped silver down his pants, and knocked him out with an end table."

Godric and I chuckled. Now that she said it, we could hear the sizzling coming from Bill's pants. I was wrong about the reason why she had bound his hands behind his back. It wasn't to make him extra uncomfortable, it was so he couldn't reach into his pants and remove the silver. I was surprised, though, that Sookie hadn't done more to him, especially when she wouldn't replay it all for us.

"That's all you did? That was the punishment you gave him?"

She pushed me mischief and smiled as she protested, "I didn't say _that_ , but it was all I did to him physically. I punished him by holdin' up a mirror for him and showed him what he truly looked like."

When we both furrowed our brows at her and pushed her confusion, she tugged on us twice and spoke to us telepathically, _I gathered up the memories of every innocent he and Lorena killed and replayed it for him. Then I filtered out the memories of every person he procured on his own and what he remembered of their fates and replayed those for him too. I showed him he had become exactly what he was most afraid of. I showed him he had become his maker._

Stunned. Godric and I were both stunned. There wasn't a harsher punishment I could think of for Bill Compton. He was so adamant that he was better than other vampires because he retained some part of his humanity and Sookie had shown him there was nothing human left about him. She had searched his mind for his worst fear and forced him to live it.

Oddly, at that moment I remembered what I had thought when Sookie first concocted the plan to frame Bill. I had compared her to a lion. To me, it felt like Sookie sat back and watched the herd, studying the weakest links, analyzing the best way to attack, and biding her time before she cornered her prey. It never felt truer than it did at that moment. She had studied Bill and analyzed what his greatest weakness was before she went for the kill. Looking at Bill now, it suddenly dawned on me that I wouldn't get the chance to watch Godric break him, Sookie had already done that. From the way he held his head and the stance of his shoulders as Godric pushed him towards the table, Bill looked like a broken man. He didn't even fight against Godric's hold.

Sookie brought my attention back to her when trepidation filled the tie. Godric and I immediately flooded her with reassurance and pride. She instantly relaxed and relief swept through her. Our moment of silence and astonishment had made Sookie doubt herself and we never wanted her to do that.

"Keys?" Godric asked. Sookie pulled a set out from her jacket pocket and chucked it at him. He caught it with vampire reflexes and turned to Bill to unlock his manacles and strap him to the table.

"How many, Sookie? How many innocents did he kill?" I asked quietly. I had blood on my hands, we all did, but Godric and I hadn't killed innocents. We killed for fun, yes, but our targets were always guilty of something. Whether it was a stupid and pointless war or we caught them in the act of committing other crimes, we only killed those we felt deserved it.

Before I met him though, Godric had been responsible for the death of innocents, but he had killed them unwillingly. His master had been cruel and often enjoyed watching Godric tear innocents apart. Godric spent years under his rule before he finally found an opportunity to end him. Those lives weighed heavily on him and he trained me to never to kill innocents. His guilt had grown over the centuries and had become too much for him by the time he met Sookie. Now he didn't just train her not to kill the innocent, he also trained her not to kill needlessly. It didn't matter anymore if they were guilty or not. If she didn't need to kill them, he taught her to leave them be. There were other avenues now to go through to find justice. If she caught someone stealing, she could just report them to the police. Back then, we didn't have that option so we just ended the culprits.

"Hundreds," she whispered. "On his own. With Lorena? Over a thousand."

All of our connections filled with disgust simultaneously. I knew Bill had taken innocent lives, I had seen the evidence of it when I met Pam. I hadn't realized it was to that extent though.

"No wonder people are frightened of us. Let's be honest, with vampires among us like this one? We are frightening," Godric stated as he finished buckling the last strap. He then reached down and yanked the lever back so the table slid into a vertical position, lowering Bill's feet while raising his head and propping him up like he was standing.

"Oh Billy boy, you have been naughty, haven't you?" I asked and gave him a fangy grin. A blood tear had slipped down his cheek when Sookie told us how many innocent lives he had taken. I walked closer as I spoke and he glowered at me.

"Go to hell, Eric. You've finally got a reason to turn me in again. Call the Magister and get it over with," he said tiredly. Sookie had taken the fight right out of him.

"I'm sure you would love nothing more, Bill," I said with a smirk. "But I finally got you down in my play room and I wouldn't be a very good host if I let you leave before we had a chance to play a game."

My last words brought me right in front of him. He opened his mouth to snarl something at me and I shut him up with a nasty right hook. While he shook his head to clear it, I leaned in and whispered, "That's for making me think Sookie hated me, Bill." I stepped back as he spat out a tooth and added, "Though it really doesn't surprise me you had to drug a girl to get one to go home with you."

"It wasn't hard to do, Eric. There were so many things she couldn't stand about you anyways," Bill muttered.

Godric stepped closer and asked, "Really? Is that why you tried to overcook her? To turn her into a Reinfield? Because it was _easy_ to make her hate Eric? Both my progenies are stubborn, Mr. Compton, and both quite stubbornly believe you drowned her in blood because she fought against your hold, especially when it came to Eric." He finished with a left hook to Bill's face.

Well, at least we kept it symmetrical.

Godric turned back to Sookie and asked, "Know any good games we could play until young Jessica gets here?"

Bill's fangs dropped at his progeny's name and he hissed.

"Oh relax, Billy. Jessica is safe with us. She's even considering joining our bloodline," I said with a smirk.

When he growled, Sookie vamped closer, coming to a stop between me and Godric. Bill immediately quieted and whimpered. She rolled her eyes and pushed her influence towards him, glamouring him, before seductively asking, "You don't wanna hurt Jess, now do you, Bill?" He shook his head robotically. "So then you won't command Jess anymore, will you?" He shook his head again. "And you know you're in for a world of hurt, so you're gonna keep the bond closed from now on, aren't ya?"

Sookie was always thinking outside the box. Godric and I hadn't even thought about the possibility Bill would command Jessica to do something, like attack us, when she got here. It would've been too late by the time we realized he could. We pushed her gratitude for her clever thinking and she purred.

"Yes, Sookie. I'll keep it closed," he answered, looking completely enthralled.

She pulled back and walked towards the table I had set up earlier with all the torture devices Pam and I were fond of while saying, "I've always been a fan of darts, myself, Godric."

Godric and I looked at each other and slowly smiled shit-eating grins.

"Darts?" Godric asked innocently, feigning confusion. "How do you play that, Sookie? I'm afraid I've never heard of it before."

She ran her fingers over all the tools set out before her, coming to a stop over a silver scalpel.

"It's really quite easy, Godric. You just pick a dart up," she said as she picked up the scalpel, "aim it at the target," she turned towards us and lifted the scalpel as we backed away, "and throw." She finished by expertly launching the scalpel at Bill. It nicked his ear, making him bleed, and sank into the wood of the table. Bill flinched and cursed as it bled.

Damn that was hot. She could play with my dart anytime.

"Of course, in darts you try to hit the target. In this version, I guess we would try not to hit it."

Bill slammed his head back against the table in frustration and said, "Please, please just tell me what you want. I'll give it to you. There's no need for this."

"Really, Billy boy? So if we ask you about, say, the database, you'll just tell us everything we want to know?" I asked.

His eyes shifted between the three of us before landing on the far wall as he lied, "What database?"

Sookie pushed into our thoughts and sent, _He was hoping to trade it to the Authority in return for his life and freedom._

"I hope you weren't thinking about using it to barter for your freedom, Mr. Compton. We already found and destroyed it. We were just hoping you'd make this easier on us and answer some questions," Godric stated, focusing Bill's mind on it and making it easier for Sookie to search for what we needed.

 _He hasn't told anyone 'bout it. He was savin' it for his own…_ her mental voice faltered and we both turned to look at her, _his own monarchy. He was a plant in Sophie-Anne's court for Nan Flannigan for the last couple decades. She plans to help him remove Sophie-Anne from the throne in exchange for his work and install him in her place. Nan's goal is to replace certain monarchs with ones who fully support mainstreaming._

Sookie pushed us both amusement when she felt us both curse in the blood at the same time. This was a problem. Nan was the AVL spokesperson and worked for the Authority and if Bill was working for her, there was a chance Nan could use her influence and power to have Bill pardoned by claiming he told her all about it. Technically, if he was a plant then his allegiance was to the Authority and that superseded any fealty he pledged to a monarchy.

Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do about that. Sookie could glamour her not to support Bill if we could get a hold of her, but that would be pointless if the chancellors were already aware of Bill's purpose.

"Glamour him to forget the program. If he wants to use it as a bargaining chip, we can't make him back down," Godric stated sadly. Without the program, Bill's only hope would be Nan and her resources.

Sookie quickly caught Bill's incredulous gaze, vamped closer, and glamoured him into believing he'd always been interested in creating such a program, but had quickly abandoned the idea when he realized how dangerous something like that would be if it fell into the wrong hands. She finished with instructions to forget her ability to glamour vampires before pulling back out. Something then caught her attention and she turned her head in the direction of the door at vamp speed, "Jess is here with Pam. I'll meet her upstairs and bring her down after I explain Bill's, uh, appearance to her."

"Sookeh, don't do that. Don't bring her down here. Get her out of here. The Magister likes sadistic punishments, he might hurt her to hurt me," Bill pleaded.

Her protective and possessive instincts flared up and she growled, "I'd never let anyone hurt her, jackass."

Sookie then reached up and he flinched. She rolled her eyes, shot us both with exasperation, and pulled the scalpel from the wood. After giving Bill one last, disgusted look, she vamped over to the table to dump it there before walking up the stairs, muttering, "Fuckin' hate how he says my name," as she climbed.

"Yes, Beehl, why do you call her that?" I asked and smacked him upside the head while Godric and I tried to clean him up as much as possible before Jessica saw him.


	33. Chapter 33: Assumptions

**_A/N:_**

 _Oh man. You all are gonna be so upset with me for how this chapter ends, but I promise you it was necessary. It's gonna turn into something beautiful next chapter, so stick with me on this and don't sharpen your stakes yet!_

 _FYI, I bring up my sponsorship of the blood idea in this chap which allows a vampire to replace another as a maker. A while ago, I got a PM from_ _skarsnix asking me permission to borrow that idea and I'm cool with it. If you come across it in skarsnix's story, no need to tell me because I already know._

 _Okay, I've just gotta say this- a lot of my readers are a little panicked and worried I won't finish this story. I promise you I will. I hate it when I come across a story that gets me hooked and the writer just disappears, I won't do that to you! I might not be able to publish everyday like I did in the past, but I will finish this. In fact, I'm even thinking seriously about a sequel._

 _Eric leans down and his lips graze your ear as he whispers, "Trust her, lover. She'll finish it."_

 _Last but not least! Voting is now open for the **New Blood Awards**. Stop by and vote at youwantbloodawards. wordpress. com (without the spaces). I've been nominated for four awards and it is the first fanfic contest I've ever been nominated for, so if you like my story, vote for it! Voting is open until June 20_ _th_ _._

 ** _Disclaimer_** _: True Blood and SVM are owned by Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO. I own nothing. I just borrowed their art supplies and painted my own picture with them. So what if it's of a certain sexy Viking in the moonlight?_

* * *

When Sookie came back down, a nervous Jessica trailed behind her. Jessica bit her lip and looked about the dark basement before her eyes landed on Bill. Sensing her hesitation, Sookie waited for her a couple steps below her and slipped her hand in Jessica's before walking the rest of the way down.

There wasn't much we could do about Bill's appearance, but we did manage to clean the blood up and removed his tattered shirt completely so Jessica wouldn't see just how thoroughly her grandsire tore apart her maker's chest. We placed a cloth over the torture tools to hide it from view and hoped to hell that would be enough.

Sookie noticed what we had done and caressed us with her blood for our efforts, which put us on the receiving end of an odd look from Bill and giggles from Jessica at the sound of our purrs. When they walked by us, Godric and I both put a hand on Jessica and gave her a gentle squeeze. She smiled warmly in thanks for the encouragement, but the smile quickly fell when Sookie brought her up to Bill.

I'd have to see about sharing some blood with Jessica. I really wanted to push strength and support at her in that moment. Sookie must've caught the direction of my thoughts because she looked back at me and sent me a kiss on the cheek through the tie and flushed me with gratitude. The ends of my lips kicked up when I felt it.

"Bill?" Jess tentatively asked.

Bill's eyes shifted from person to person around the basement. Apparently, he thought he would have a moment alone with Jessica.

Not a chance in hell, Billy boy.

"Jessica, there is no time," Bill began dramatically. Honestly, he really was a drama queen. Jess shot a nervous glance at Sookie. "Look at me," he pleaded and her eyes lifted to his face, "as your maker, I release you."

Sookie, Godric, and I all dropped fang. Every emotion in Sookie's blood except fury and protectiveness suddenly tightened and faded away. I hadn't even realized until that moment that her emotions hadn't disappeared earlier. She hadn't been predatory until Bill cut his ties with Jessica.

After Sookie had a chat with Bill earlier in the day, both sides of her nature must've completely dismissed him as a threat. Both the fairy and the vampire in her realized he no longer had a hold over her, that he couldn't hurt her, so she hadn't needed to become predatory. And that still held true, Bill didn't have a hold on her anymore and nothing he said could hurt her, but he could hurt Jessica. Sookie wanted Jessica to be kin. She wanted to protect her, teach her, and take care of her. Ultimately, she wanted to be Jessica's maker, and she wanted that at her most instinctive level. I didn't know how the talk Godric had with Sookie about Jessica went, but I knew without a doubt that, somehow, Sookie would make sure Jessica was always protected and taken care of.

And Bill Compton had just hurt her potential progeny.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jessica asked, bewildered. I could feel in my blood how very badly Sookie wanted to attack Bill in that moment, but the fairy side of her rose up and forced concern to override any other emotion and impulse she had.

"It means our ties are bro-"

"Jess," Sookie cut in, speaking softly. Jessica proved who truly had her allegiance at that moment. She turned to Sookie without giving Bill a backward glance and looked at her questioningly. "Bill just cut his ties with you. It means you no longer have to obey his commands. It also means you won't be able to feel him in the bond anymore. It's still there, it'll be there until one of you meets the true death, but it's broken. Focus on your bond with Bill. You should be able to feel his life force and nothin' more."

Jessica closed her eyes and felt out her blood. We could all see it on her face when she came across the ragged and broken edges of their bond. Her features contorted in pain and a blood tear leaked down her cheek. Sookie scooped it up and popped it in her mouth before saying, "I know it hurts now, but the pain will lessen in time. If you join our bloodline, the torn pieces will fade away and it'll stop hurtin' that much sooner."

For vampires who actually had good makers, the breaking of the bond was not a relief. It was the most severe and hurtful punishment a maker could inflict on a child. Jessica hadn't had a good maker, but she hadn't hated Bill either so what Bill had just done wounded her.

A broken sob escaped Jessica and Sookie wrapped her arms around her.

"There's somethin' wrong with you, Bill Compton. You didn't need to do that. We just told you Jess was thinkin' about joinin' our bloodline. Your bond would've faded away painlessly during the ceremony. You didn't need to hurt her," Sookie said harshly in that calm tone of hers. Bill looked away from them, wincing at the sound of Jessica's sobs.

What Sookie said was true. There was no reason for Bill to release Jessica and every single one of us felt our protective instincts rise to the fore when he did. We already thought of Jessica as part of our bloodline and it was not easy watching Bill treat her like that.

"Why, Bill?" Jessica asked, "Why release me?"

Bill was hanging on to his own sanity by a thread. He'd been through too much in too short a time to think completely rationally, so it didn't surprise me when he snapped and raised his voice at her, "I can't take care of you!" He immediately brought it down a level when Sookie growled warningly at him. "I can't protect you!" His voice cracked a little when he added, "I'm no good for you!"

I seriously doubted Bill Compton was truly _good for_ anybody.

"Take care of me?!" Jessica asked incredulously. "When have you ever truly taken care of me? You pawned me off on Eric and Pam right after I rose! You didn't even teach me how to feed. I drained someone, Bill!" Bill flinched and brought his eyes back to hers to give her a mournful look. I felt Sookie push her calm and strength and once again I wished I could emotionally support her too. "I was hungry and I was sad and it was an accident but I didn't know how to control myself because _you never taught me_! Why didn't you teach me, Bill?"

When he didn't answer her and just dropped his eyes to the floor, she turned to Sookie and said in a broken voice, "I don't want to be alone anymore."

Her eyes blurred with tears and she whimpered. I felt a pang in my chest at the sight and wasn't surprised when I felt Godric's own yearning to comfort her through our bond as well. Somehow, the little redhead had come to mean something to all of us in just a couple of nights. Like Sookie promised, we would take care of her. She'd never have to be alone again.

"Then you won't be," Sookie said in a hushed tone. She lifted her hands to cup her face and wiped away the tears that spilled out. I had an idea of where Sookie was going with this and quickly tugged on our tie twice, then replayed a recent memory of a conversation I had with Pam last night. I talked to her about the possibility of Sookie taking over as sponsor and maker for Jessica and Pam supported it. Sookie pushed me thankfulness while keeping her focus on Jessica. "I've talked to Godric, Jess, and he will let me be your maker, should you accept me. I would like nothin' more than for you to become my progeny."

Bill hissed while Jessica's shoulders dropped, like a ton of bricks had slid right off her with that statement. She wrapped her arms around Sookie, who immediately returned the embrace, and cried into her shoulder. Finally, she nodded and Sookie's blood began to radiate joy and possessiveness. Godric and I showered her in pride.

Bill let out a ferocious growl with Jessica's agreement and Godric laughed disbelievingly. I leaned up against one of the cement pillars in the basement and shook my head at him, "You don't get a say anymore, Bill. You renounced all ties and responsibility for Jessica when you released her. She is free to make her own decisions. If she wishes to join our bloodline, we are more than happy to have her. Your loss."

His eyes flitted from person to person again and landed back on Jessica in panic. Bill obviously hadn't thought through releasing Jessica and desperately didn't want her joining my bloodline, especially as Sookie's progeny. It was obvious he felt like Sookie was taking something from him, even though he had just discarded Jessica. He didn't want her, but he didn't want Sookie to have her.

"Jessica, no," he pleaded. "You don't want to do that, sweetheart. Don't put yourself under her control-"

"Have you said everythin' you needed to, Jess?" Sookie interrupted, talking right over him. She wasn't about to let Bill manipulate or hurt her anymore. Jessica pulled back and glanced at Bill before turning to Sookie with a nod. A strangled noise escaped Bill's throat at the sight.

"Goodbye, Bill," Jessica whispered and let Sookie lead her out of the basement. The sound of music poured in for a second when they opened the door, informing us all that the club had opened. I watched the two of them walk up the stairs and out the door with a satisfied smile.

A blade then whizzed past me and Bill let out a blood curdling scream. I looked at him and couldn't keep myself from laughing when I realized Godric had thrown a silver knife right at his dick. Godric chuckled and remarked, "Bulls-eye."

I cleared my throat unnecessarily, "Uh, Godric? Sookie said when we play vampire darts the goal was not to actually hit him."

"Oh," he replied and his face fell, "but where's the fun in that?"

 **SPOV**

I shepherded Jessica straight into the bathroom once we were out of the basement. Luckily, the club was just beginning to fill up, so nobody was inside it. I locked the door, wet a couple paper towels with water from the sink, and turned to Jessica to clean the remaining blood from her face.

"I want to do the ceremony, Sookie. I want to be your progeny as soon as possible," Jessica whispered while I wiped her cheeks.

"You don't wanna wait and see how I do as your sponsor first, Jess?" I asked. Honestly, I was a hundred percent confident in my decision to become her maker, but I didn't want her to rush into anything just because Bill released her. She felt my concern and grabbed my hand to still it, silently asking me to concentrate on her and not on cleaning her up.

"This isn't because of Bill, Sookie. I," she paused to swallow, "I feel like you're meant to be my maker. I've felt a connection to you since the night I met you. It felt even stronger the night I found out you were vampire and I feel pulled to you somehow. I want to deepen our connection and I want to do it soon," she said and pushed me confidence, letting me know how strongly she felt about her decision.

I nodded, realizing she was likely feeling the effects of the pull Godric had taught me about. It wasn't a magnetic thing since we were both vampires, but it was just as compelling. I started cleaning up her face again, shrugged, and said, "Well, then we'll do it tomorrow night. Before dawn. That sound good to you?" She gave me a brilliant smile that I returned and nodded while pushing me gratefulness, relief, and happiness. "Tomorrow, bring your stuff with you to the club. You'll be movin' into the farmhouse with me and Godric, okay?"

Jessica would be living with me from tomorrow on. I knew Pam had taught her to feed, but Jessica was still extremely young and had a lot to learn before she would be okay living on her own. Bill hadn't taught her anything about bonds and the blood, so it was likely he hadn't taught her about vampire gifts, tested her strengths, or told her anything about our laws and vampire etiquette either. I was still learning to fight and we hadn't tested me for all my gifts, but I knew more than Jessica did and I had an idea of where to start with her training. I wanted to keep her as close as possible while she learned and I wanted her to feel like she had a strong foundation to build on. Living with me would be the first step towards feeling that support.

"Okay, Sookie. How do we do it?" she asked.

"Well, I'm gonna have to drain you, just like Bill did," I began, pushing her calm when she began to feel anxious. I wasn't surprised with her reaction, her turning had been very violent. "Godric will bury us and we'll spend one day in the ground. You're already vampire, so it'll take less time for the blood to work its magic. When we rise, I'll cut our palms and we'll complete the transition and seal the connection with a blood oath."

"You'll be buried with me?"

I nodded and explained, "Yes. Being buried with your progeny helps strengthen the bond. We should have a pretty strong bond since we already shared blood."

I took the bloodied napkins into a bathroom stall and quickly flushed them, hoping to avoid anybody getting their hands on Jessica's blood.

"Have you talked to Pam about this, Sookie?" Jess asked as I walked back out.

I shook my head, "No, but Eric did. He saw the possibility of me becomin' your maker before I did. I thought I was too young, but Godric and I talked 'bout it and I realized that my age, or yours, doesn't matter, not really. At my most instinctive, I offered to teach you, protect you, and take care of you, all of which a maker does for her progeny." I pushed a silky tendril of hair behind her ear as I said this.

"What's going to happen to Bill, Sookie?" she asked quietly. I could tell from her thoughts she was torn about Bill. Part of her was angry with him, both for his treatment of her and for what he had done to me, but another, smaller part still yearned to be accepted by him and she didn't want him to die.

"I don't know, Jess. It's up to the Magister and the Authority," I answered her truthfully. When she winced, I added, "Bill has some connections, so I can't say for sure what will happen to him, but you need to be prepared for the worst. Sellin' the blood is one of the worst crimes he could've committed."

Trepidation swelled within the tie and I flooded her with strength. It'd be interesting to see how she felt about him once it was my blood flowing through her veins and not Bill's. He'd broken the bond, but his blood still influenced her simply because it was his.

"The Magister is stoppin' by sometime tonight," I warned her. "Do you have plans? It might be good for you to take a night for yourself."

"Actually, I was hoping I could go to Bon Temps and see Hoyt," she said while blushing in the blood and looking down at her hands. "I haven't really seen him since everything happened and I moved out of Bill's. I just need to talk to him, you know?"

I pushed her understanding and she gave me a small smile. I didn't tell her not to speak about draining the trucker with him. After a quick search through her memories, I knew Eric had finally spoken with her about it and explained to her that normally she would be looking at punishment for killing someone, but since Bill hadn't taught her to feed, this time she wouldn't be. He warned her against telling anyone about it though. If the public found out, it would take a lot of work to cover it up again and Eric would have no choice but to punish her for it.

I did wonder how everything with Hoyt would pan out. Now that she was being trained, she was working on her control and learning to temper her urges with donor blood, so I kept my fingers crossed and hoped things would get better between them. From what I picked up from her memories, Bill sent Jessica home with Hoyt after I died and went straight to New Orleans. Mrs. Fortenberry, Hoyt's mother, had been under the influence of the maenad when they got to Bon Temps and Jess lost control and bit her. Jessica called Bill afterwards and Bill had her join him at the queen's compound. She hadn't spoken much to Hoyt in the last two weeks, but it was still weighing heavily on her mind.

"Go. Have fun. I'll let Pam know where you went and tell her what you decided about the sponsorship. Be back at the cabin before dawn and call me if you need anything. You know your way back to Pam and Eric's?"

She nodded and I sensed excitement from her with my blood, "Yeah. Pam's letting me use one of their cars tonight. I told her I might head to Bon Temps."

Someone knocked on the door then and we headed back out to the bar. With a final wave, she walked off towards the exit and I headed back to the office, where I could feel Pam. I figured she was probably working on making copies of the evidence I gathered from Russell's and sorting through it all.

I knocked on the door and tugged on my tie with Pam for permission to enter. She quickly tugged back, so I slipped in and shut the door behind me. Pam was sitting behind Eric's desk in a black, dominatrix dress and Chanel boots with heels that stopped at her thighs. A laptop was set up in front of her and the USB drives and cloner I used were spread out next to it.

"Auntie," Pam quipped in greeting. She pulled her eyes up from the computer in front of her and added, "I didn't realize you became a secret agent when waitressing didn't work out for you."

"It's a gift," I deadpanned.

"Ah, the joys of rising early," she joked while I settled myself in one of the chairs in front of Eric's desk.

"Jessica just left. She's going to Bon Temps. Eric talked to you about me becomin' her maker, right?" I asked.

"He did and, surprisingly, I agree with him. I see a connection there and I don't have that with our little firefly. You're telling me this because you talked to her about it?" she guessed.

I nodded, "She wants to do it. I think we'll complete the ceremony tomorrow before dawn, so she'll be movin' in with me and Godric after tonight."

"And then there were two," she sighed, thinking about how empty the cabin would feel again without all of us in it. I hadn't realized how much Pam had really enjoyed having us all there. She gathered herself mentally and ran her eyes over my outfit. "I have to admit, Sookie. I love that outfit. I'm starting to think being turned transformed your fashion sense too."

I laughed and admitted, "Actually, my wardrobe's pretty limited. I was expectin' to have more once I came home, but since the maenad hosted an orgy there… Well, I need to go shoppin' and I finally have the money to buy things not sold at Walmart. I was wonderin' if you'd like to go with me one night?"

Surprise ignited in her veins quickly followed by excitement and we made plans to hit up some boutiques after everything with Russell and the Authority was taken care of. Pam pulled out Eric's laptop while we talked and set it up for me so I could help her go through everything and make copies of what was important in order to cut her workload in half. We finished with it all after a half hour and just shot the breeze and talked about the last three days for the next hour. I asked if Alcide got a copy of the videos of the blood pack and she told me they left a copy out on the bar for him. It was gone by the time Godric and I rose, so he must've seen it. Talking about it reminded me I needed to speak with Sam and Lafayette about Alcide's plan to keep an eye out for trouble. I also sent Jason a text while we caught up letting him know I'd gotten back safely and was currently in Shreveport. I even got back a night earlier than I told him I would.

The door opened while we were talking and Godric and Eric joined us, both looking freshly showered. That confused me a little since I was told there were no showers at Fangtasia when Longshadow exploded all over me. Out of curiosity, I asked, "Where'd you clean up at? I thought you said there were no showers here. I had to wear Longshadow's remains home."

Godric cocked an eyebrow at Eric, who was studiously avoiding my gaze. I turned to look at Pam and she also refused to look at me and was instead staring at her laptop. On top of that, I felt the _Oh shit!_ moment in their blood.

"You didn't…" I trailed off when I realized, yes, they did. They made me walk around covered in blood for their own amusement.

Eric's lips twitched, Godric laughed, and Pam tried to explain, "You just looked so good, Sookie. And you smelled delicious."

I used my blood to smack them both on the back of the head. Eric ducked, again, and Pam rubbed hers with a pout, "I see what you mean, Eric. It does sting when she does that."

"It's supposed to," I mumbled. "It's called negative reinforcement." That was the last straw for Eric and he burst out in laughter.

Godric sat himself down in the chair next to mine while the laughter died off and gave me a warm smile. Pam stood up to give Eric his desk back and leaned up against the wall by the door.

"I put a call into the Magister," Eric began as he sat down, "and he'll be stopping by to retrieve Compton within the hour."

"And he'll make us close the club again. Do you realize how much we've lost this week?" Pam asked with a hand on her hip.

Exasperation flared in her blood when Eric just dismissed it with a wave. His eyebrows shot up when he felt it and he turned to her and said, "We're also meeting with Russell Edgington this week, Pam, so don't be surprised if we lose even more."

The name of the 3,000 year old monarch quickly helped Pam reprioritize and she bowed her head.

"When would you like that meeting to be, min son?" Godric asked. We were instructed by Russell to make it soon. It seemed he had a timeline when it came to conquering us all.

"We need permission from the Authority first," I reminded them. "How soon do you think the Magister could get us in contact with the Authority?"

Godric and Eric exchanged a calculating glance before Godric replied, "I would think they'd respond quickly. They'll wish to speak with us tomorrow night, no later."

And it didn't hurt that Nora was one of the chancellors.

Eric sat back, stroked his lower lip while he thought, and finally said, "Tell him two nights from now. If the Authority wants us to push it back a night, we'll tell him I was summoned to New Orleans at the last minute. Since Pam's so worried about profits," Pam rolled her eyes, "ask him to come after we close. Let him know the staff leaves around 2:30 a.m., so he should come around 3:00 if he wants complete privacy."

That would work. Russell would think Eric was keeping to his normal business hours in order to avoid unnecessary attention. The late hour would mean Russell would have to go to ground somewhere in Louisiana, so Talbot and his wolves wouldn't expect him to return until the next night. Godric glanced at me to make sure I agreed, I did tend to think of things that just didn't occur to either of them, and I gave him a nod.

"Fangtasia's closed tomorrow night. We typically have a meeting with the area vampires on Mondays," Eric explained for our benefit. He then turned to Pam and asked, "Is there anything important or can we put it off until next Monday?"

She whipped her phone out at vamp speed and hummed as she checked her schedule, "Nothing important. I think they're all very aware the Magister is in town, so they've been on their best behavior."

"That's a first," Eric muttered. His lips twitched when all three of us flooded him with mirth. "Was there anything in the evidence Sookie gathered that we didn't expect, Pam?"

She cocked an eyebrow as she put her phone away and said, "Well, we did find his plans to conquer every vampire kingdom in order to establish his own Authority and his connections to the Sanguinista movement, but there really weren't too many names there that would surprise you. Sookie and I made copies and they're already in the safe."

Godric and I hadn't told him yet what we discovered when I dug through Russell's thoughts, so this was news to him. Surprise skipped through his veins and he threw me a questioning look. I nodded, confirming for him that I picked it up from Russell himself. His eyebrows rose and he said, "I'm sure the Authority will just love that."

"I wouldn't give the Magister the evidence on the Sanguinistas, I'd hold onto it until you speak with the Authority," I advised. When they shot me looks of confusion, I explained, "There may be Sanguinistas workin' within the Authority who could destroy the evidence before we meet with them and warn the other Sanguinista contacts."

That would be bad. Very, very bad. Godric and I moved to the area to hopefully avoid becoming targets. It would really suck to have completed the Magister's test just to become the main target of every Sanguinista in the country.

I seriously hoped to avoid that.

All three of them pushed me pride. While I purred, Eric shook his head and remarked, "Always thinking outside the box, Sookie. All right, we'll hold off on mentioning the Sanguinistas until tomorrow night." He looked between the three of us when he then asked, "Anything else we need to talk about?"

Did we just have a family meeting?

"Sookie and I need to speak with you about something, Eric," Godric stated. Pam pouted, but left to go check IDs at the door anyway when Eric gave her a stern look. After the door closed behind her, Godric explained, "Sookie and I have been discussing telling Pamela everything. Her instincts say to trust her." Eric cocked an eyebrow at me. When I pushed him confidence, he broke out in a grin. "I think you should explain it to her since you can gauge her reaction better. I'd feel more at ease if you would command her not to tell anyone just in case."

Eric nodded, "It'd be best if I told her in private."

Godric looked at me and asked, "Have you fed?"

By myself? No. Seriously?

My blood obviously answered for me because Godric chuckled and turned back to Eric, "I'll take Sookie hunting while you tell Pam."

"But," Eric immediately protested and pointed out, "the basement's occupied." We could feel how much he wanted to be there when I fed and I had to shield my amusement from him.

Godric narrowed our bond, threw up a blood shield, and pushed me mischief wrapped in mirth while he replied to Eric with a comically innocent expression on his face, "So it is. I guess we'll just have to dine out. She could always use more experience tracking."

Eric liked that idea even less, which just heightened Godric's amusement. He hadn't seen me track yet and wanted to hunt with me. I blanketed our tie in reassurance, because Eric could honestly hunt with me any night, and he relaxed. He muttered something about interfering makers that had the glee in Godric's blood shooting up like a geyser before reluctantly asking, "Can you send Pam back on your way out?"

I caressed him with my blood as we filed out the door, giggling at the sound of his purr. We vamped over to the entrance, sending cheers through the crowd, and told Pam Eric needed to see her. As we walked away from the bar, Godric turned to me and gave me instructions, "I want you to find women for us to feed on tonight. You were able to stop yourself in Jackson because your feed was male and touched you. Let's see if you can pull back by yourself when you feed on a female."

I nodded and we disappeared into the night, cloaking ourselves in the shadows as we took to the streets of the city.

We returned to Fangtasia a half hour later, both of us looking rosy from feeding. I had no problems pulling back from my feed, much to my relief and Godric's pleasure. As we approached the door, Godric told me he was going to make a call in Eric's office, to Russell I assumed, and took off at vamp speed. After he vanished, Pam appeared before me faster than I could blink and dragged me off into the shadows of the parking lot.

"Pam? What're y-"

"Shut it, princess," she hissed.

I kept my lips zipped while she pulled me into the far corner of the parking lot, worried my instincts about her had been wrong. While Godric and I were hunting, I'd kept a mental eye on our tie and felt her emotions as Eric let her in on my secret. She went through shock several times, then felt jealousy, irritation, understanding, and finally ended with feeling affection. I had assumed everything had turned out okay, but you know what they say about assuming.

Before I decided to officially declare myself an ass, I figured I should try searching her blood for answers first. I spread my blood out along our connection and dug into her as she ushered me away. Unfortunately, Pam was keeping her emotions shielded and I hadn't yet figured out how to break through them like Godric could.

Well, the blood shields, anyway. He couldn't get past my mental shields.

Just as we came to a stop, my annoyance and worry hit a new peak and I shot light through our tie in agitation. It burned right through her shield and she jumped and spun around to give me a look of disbelief. I ignored the incredulity pulsing through her veins and sent my blood out to analyze how she felt about my spark. Surprisingly, she wasn't pissed. I could feel she had been at first, but then she must've realized that I was trusting her with my life by letting Eric tell her anything and though she was still feeling a little jealous, it was mainly just an irritation now and she was actually feeling extremely affectionate and tender towards me.

I scrunched up my face in incomprehension and pushed her my confusion. Pam had her hands on her hips with an eyebrow raised at me and when she felt the emotion I pushed her, she doubled over laughing.

Which just left me even more bewildered.

She gasped in a breath she didn't need and pointed at me as she laughed out, "Your face!" She inhaled again and calmed down a bit to say, "Oh that was just too good." I sent her a push that told her she'd look incredible bedazzled in silver and growled while flushing her with exasperation when she just answered me with mirth. When Pam finally settled down, she grabbed my shoulders and pushed me gratitude while explaining, "I just wanted to say thank you, Sookie. Thank you for trusting me."

Oh.

Well, okay then.

Even though she had just tried to make me the first vampire to ever have a heart attack, I gave her a brilliant smile and answered her with the same push she sent me the night we shared blood, _family_. Pam smiled back and understanding rose in the tie. She then looped an arm through mine and led me back out of the parking lot. I stroked her into purring as we walked, earning her weird looks and giggles from the people in line. Not one to like being seen as anything other than badass, she quickly patched up the blow to her rep by dropping fang and snarling at them all. They took an instinctive step back and I laughed.

It was amazing what I found funny now. Her snarling used to annoy the shit out of me when I was human.

With a final nod, Pam resumed her position at the door and I slipped inside. The bar was now fully packed and the scent of sweat and rushing blood was intoxicating. I watched the crowd bump and sway for a moment, reveling in the scents before I started scanning the club for Eric. The floor vibrated beneath my feet with the beat of the bass and the lights had been turned down low, giving the whole place a darker, more predatory feel. It was easy to believe that vampires were watching from the shadows and that more sinister vibe thrilled the humans in the crowd, spiking the anxiety in their blood and making everything that much sweeter.

I caught sight of Eric at the same time he caught sight of me. He wasn't sitting on his throne or at his reserved booth, but standing near the edge of the room talking to a vampire like he'd been caught in between his office and the dais on the way back out. He smiled at me and tugged on our tie, beckoning me closer. I started lazily weaving my way through the mass of gyrating hips and pressed bodies, keeping eye contact with him as I moved.

At least until I saw the model-like dancer on the stripper pole gracefully jump down from her stage and make her way towards him from the corner of my eye.

She was gorgeous. Her skin was a beautiful bronze, her legs went on for days, and her hair was sun-kissed. I could almost smell the sunlight clinging to her skin from across the room. I realized instantly she had thought Eric was smiling at her and found myself amused, for a moment. All it took was one very vivid image from her mind of Eric banging her brains out in the basement to suck all the entertainment out of the misunderstanding.

I really shouldn't have looked any deeper, but I couldn't help myself. Call it residual insecurity from my human days.

I was not happy with what I learned. Her name was Yvetta and she was not the typical fuck and feed. She was a repeat. I didn't know Eric was even capable of staying interested in one woman long enough to spend multiple days enjoying her. For some reason, I had assumed he was a one and done type of vampire. With me being his exception.

I guess that made me an ass after all.

I'd have to get it tattooed on my face right beneath the one that read idiot.

What really disturbed me though wasn't the fact that Eric had slept with and fed from her. Unfortunately, Eric had probably done that with over half the women currently in the bar. No, what disturbed me was how often he had enjoyed her and the fact that I couldn't find an end to their ongoing tryst anywhere in her memories. I couldn't tell exactly when he had last sampled this particular flavor of tramp, but it had been recent.

Recent as in the last few days.

I slapped a mental shield over the jealousy and hurt rising in my blood but made no effort to hide the possessiveness and fury that rose with it. Eric's brows furrowed when he sensed my mood, but I couldn't say I was surprised to feel his blood cry out, "Oh shit!" when Yvetta stepped into his line of sight.

Maybe we'd get matching tattoos.

I would pay the artist extra to add _hole_ onto his.

The thing was, I might've been experiencing residual insecurity from my human days, but I _wasn't_ human anymore. The vampire in me, the predator, wouldn't allow me to walk away from someone about to encroach on my territory. Eric had agreed to my claim, he was _mine_. The fairy in me was even worse and I had to physically force myself to keep reabsorbing my light so I didn't light her ass up in middle of the club.

Thankfully, I already had a unique glow, so nobody supernatural would notice anything unusual and the club was too dark at the moment for the average human to notice.

I moved faster than most vampires in the state when I planted myself at Eric's side, surprising not only the vampire talking to him, but every vampire in the bar. Eric immediately wrapped an arm around my waist and tucked me into his side. I could feel his unease through the tie, but I didn't reassure him. I didn't even look up at him. Instead, I kept my eyes trained on Yvetta, becoming more predatory with every step she took. She hesitated when Eric pulled me in close to him, yet quickly regained her confidence with a flick of her hair and pushed forward anyway.

Naughty stripper.

When she came within touching distance, intending to sidle up next to my Viking, I didn't even think about what I was doing and started glamouring her on reflex.

I eased into her mind like she was a well-worn glove and seductively said, "Stop." Incredulity, lust, and amusement briefly surpassed Eric's unease. His anxiety made a swift return when I took a small step forward, coming toe to toe with her, and warned her with a voice that dripped sex, "He is not yours, Yvetta." Completely under my control, she nodded slowly, though her mind spun with confusion.

"Sookie-" Eric started but I quickly cut him off, keeping Yvetta under my control as I spoke.

"She's a gold digger, Eric. She floats from area to area searchin' for powerful vampires in hopes one will claim her and then plans to drain said vampire dry," I giggled at the pun, "Figuratively speaking. I met her once when I was human and read her mind," I lied, but Eric understood. He knew I scooped it from her mind just a second ago. "I hadn't realized she'd moved into this area." When I felt acceptance join the storm of other emotions brewing in the tie, I finished my glamour, "Yvetta, you've realized it's too risky tryin' to manipulate vampires and are gonna stop with your get rich scheme. Any vampires you were targetin' before, you'll stay far away from startin' now."

Which meant Eric, obviously.

"Of course," she agreed with a vacant expression on her face. Her voice was musical but heavily accented. I blanketed the club with my mind and zeroed in on Pam's thoughts, since she at least thought in English, and learned Yvetta was Estonian.

I also learned that apparently she and Eric didn't mind sharing occasionally.

I'd never wished someone could glamour a memory away from me before that moment.

Slowly, I reeled my influence back in and raised my shields. Yvetta's eyes became more focused and her features more animated as she regained control. She looked around in confusion for a moment before apologizing to Eric for taking a break without permission and returned to her stripper pole. I cast my own eyes around the room and realized I'd once again drawn the attention of every vampire in the room. Apparently, staking a claim on their sheriff and protecting his financial assets, and those of every other vampire in the area, earned me a modicum of respect and they each gave me a nod when my eyes met theirs. I nodded in return.

When I finally returned my attention to Eric, it was only to realize our maker had joined us. Confusingly, he pushed me both mirth and concern. I sent him an emotional eye-roll and he got the message. I was not going to talk about this with him, either of them, and Godric understood me perfectly.

Eric, on the other hand, opened his mouth to either tease me about my possessive behavior or ask me why I was still pissed. He never got a chance to put his Swedish thought into English words though because the Magister's guards were surrounding the building at that precise moment. I tugged on Godric and Eric twice in warning before doing my push and pull, yin and yang thing and connected my mind to Eric's, Godric's, and Pam's. I startled poor Pam by including her without warning, but she quickly caught on when I thought at them, _The Magister is here._

I was never more grateful in my life to be trapped by vampires. I definitely wasn't prepared to talk about what just happened and wasn't even sure where Eric and I stood after everything I had just discovered. If ever I needed a moment to think, this was it.


	34. Chapter 34: The Heart of the Storm

**_A/N:_**

 _Excited? Because I am. The last few chapters have been building up to this one, so I hope y'all like it. I'm sorry about that last cliff hanger. I'm still pulling splinters out of my chest from one badly placed stake and boy was it a close call. Yes, Sookie is kind of sabotaging herself, but like I said before, it was necessary and will turn into something beautiful. Hopefully._

 _Some of you amazing readers completely understand where Sookie is coming from while others are very upset with her. Yes, she made a big assumption, but she's not the only one. Eric's been operating on a couple assumptions of his own and we'll find out what those are_ _this_ _chapter. *Cackles*_

 _Before I forget, voting for the_ _ **New**_ _ **Blood Awards**_ _ends tomorrow, June 20_ _th_ _, so please stop by and vote if you haven't already. "To Protect My Kin" is up for four out of five awards and there are some other really amazing stories up there, so check it out at_ _ **youwantbloodawards. wordpress. com**_ _._

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I do not own True Blood or SVM. Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO do. I earn nothing from this story. I just took their Etch n' Sketch, shook it up, and drew a new picture._

* * *

"Everyone out! Now!" one of the Magister's guards shouted as two more filed through the door. They then began herding the area vampires and disappointed patrons of the bar outside to clear it for the Magister. While the crowd dispersed, Godric stepped forward and I fell into place to the left of him as Eric settled into position to his right. Pam vamped over and quirked an eyebrow at Eric, who nodded, before heading towards his office. She returned with a USB drive in hand, coming to a stop behind and to the right of Eric.

I could feel through the bond that Godric was still concerned about me, and he wasn't the only one. Pam had picked up on my mood and Eric was stealing furtive glances in my direction. I knew we all needed to be on top of our game, but I couldn't find it in me to reassure them. Honestly, I couldn't even reassure myself. Maybe I had more humanity left inside me than I thought, because the state of insecurity I was currently trapped in was something that was all too common for Human Sookie. I practically lived in that state when I was alive.

But the fury still boiling inside of me? Now that was all Supe.

Actually, even I was surprised by my level of anger. Logically, I knew that Eric thought I was dead up until a few days ago. He wasn't sitting around for a month just pining away for me and it's not like we had a relationship before the night I returned from Texas. I hadn't been with anybody since the night I died, but I'd felt heartbroken and betrayed during that month, so starting something new had been the last thing on my mind. Who's to say I wouldn't have slept with someone if I hadn't felt so hurt by what Bill did to me?

It wasn't really the fact that Eric had slept with anybody in that time that upset me though, it was the fact that he hadn't ended whatever it was he had with Yvetta after I got back, after his blood told me he was mine. There was no end to the relationship between them in Yvetta's memories and, after a quick peek in Eric's mind, I couldn't find an end in his either. I was momentarily relieved to find he hadn't slept with Yvetta since I popped back up in his life, but then I realized he also hadn't had the _opportunity_ to sleep with her, let alone talk to her, in the last few days. The one night the club was open after I got back just happened to be her day off.

So I guess the big question was, why didn't Eric end things with her?

Was it because he simply hadn't had the chance to or because he still planned on enjoying her? Did he think that now that I was vampire that I would be okay with him fucking his feeds? Was she even technically a feed though or did he claim her? He'd spent many nights with Yvetta. It was not a one time thing. He obviously enjoyed Yvetta, both her body and blood, and I didn't know enough Swedish to find out from his thoughts if he had wanted to keep her. Eric had asked me to form a first level bond with him, but I wouldn't exchange with him if he was still screwing others. Hell, I wouldn't even let him kiss me again if he was screwing others.

Then again, I could be creating something out of nothing.

I felt awful that I doubted him at all, but Eric hadn't really given me a reason to have complete faith in him. He should've taken care of this the night I came back or, at the very least, the night after I popped into his room. The fact that he hadn't was what had me doubting him. Could anyone really blame me for that with his track record? All the evidence I needed that Eric got around was in the club each and every night.

That doubt, like my insecurity, was an unfortunate aftertaste still lingering in my mouth from my human days. Back then, I let it roll right off my back any time Eric hit on me because I doubted he could ever be monogamous after hearing the thoughts of all the women he'd been with. I changed my mind when I started feeling his emotions, once I could feel how much he wanted me and how much he cared for me. Was that a mistake?

Or could Eric be faithful?

Most vampires were not monogamous. Especially with other vampires.

I was not the typical vampire though.

But I guess it was time to find out if Eric was.

I refocused myself when the last of the crowd disappeared and the Magister strolled in, twirling his cane as he walked. He took Godric and me in with a pleased smile, delighted we made it out of Mississippi in one piece. He spread his hands out in front of him and said, "Ah, Godric! I see you made it out of Russell's court unscathed."

"Magister," Godric greeted him with a nod.

The Magister nodded in return before vamping towards me, sweeping my hand up and kissing the back of it after he came to a stop. Unsurprisingly, my tie with Eric began to radiate possessiveness and jealousy at the move.

 _You have got to be kidding me._

Sensing how I felt, Eric cast another furtive glance my way. I ignored him, instead focusing on the Magister. My emotions were slowly starting to tighten, the predator within me recognizing him as a threat since Godric let me know the Magister would've had zero problems with destroying me if I hadn't passed his test. I could feel her flexing her claws and brushing her fur against my skin just at the sight of him.

"Miss Stackhouse," the Magister stated as he straightened up and released my hand. The three guards who had entered before him took up positions around the bar and I could feel the minds of his other guards forming a perimeter around the building outside. "I trust you had no major difficulties in Jackson."

Ha. Define difficulties.

"Maybe just a couple, Magister," I said sweetly, thickening my accent and giving him a charming smile.

I really wasn't surprised when I felt Eric's jealousy spike again.

We were two peas in a very green pod tonight.

The Magister raised an eyebrow at me in question so I explained, "It turns out Compton pledged fealty to Mississippi. When we got there, Compton panicked and attacked his sovereign, Russell Edgington, Magister, and his king sentenced him to the true death. We mentioned you were lookin' for him, but it didn't matter to his majesty. We had to find more… creative ways to get custody of Compton."

He took a couple steps back as he digested my answer, looked at Godric, and planted his cane on the floor. Finally, he chuckled and remarked, "So now we add treason to the list." Godric crossed his arms over his chest with a mischievous smile on his face and nodded. "How did you get custody of Mr. Compton then, Godric?"

"That would be Sookie's doing, Magister. She glamoured two of Russell's Were guards to retrieve him after sunrise," Godric replied while flushing my veins with pride.

"You mean human guards," the Magister corrected, tapping his cane twice against the floor.

Godric's smile slowly widened. The Magister's eyebrows soared and he looked back and forth between the two of us before resting his eyes solely on me. Astonished, he asked, "You can glamour the two-natured, Miss Stackhouse?" When I nodded, he pressed, "How?"

"It's easier for me to sense the emotions of those who aren't vampire," I began, giving him our doctored version of my ability. "The two-natured feel things differently when in animal form, so I use my insight on their emotions to separate the two natures from each other and glamour the human part of them."

"We had a Were accompany us and serve as our dayman. Sookie discovered she could glamour them when she met the Were the night before we left for Mississippi," Godric lied. "When Russell made it clear he would not be giving up Mr. Compton, Sookie suggested glamouring the Weres to retrieve him."

Godric purposefully left out Lorena's fate when he told him this. It would come out during the torture session the Magister was bound to hold once he got his hands on Bill. No point in repeating things.

The Magister stilled as he absorbed our words. After a silent moment in which the very air felt saturated with his excitement, he commented, "You are full of delightful surprises, Miss Stackhouse." He turned back to Godric and added, "I've mentioned your progeny to a few select friends of mine, Godric. They would like to meet her. There will be a gathering held next month and your presences have been requested."

Ooh, an initiation ceremony? Would I learn a secret handshake?

For once, I seriously wondered if I wasn't the only telepath in the room since Pam and Eric were feeling just as amused as I was. Godric, on the other hand, felt nothing but pure relief. He paused for a moment to give the illusion he was weighing his options before finally nodding.

Honestly? I didn't really think we had much of a choice. It kinda sounded like we'd been summoned.

"Good. I'll call you closer to the day with the details," the Magister responded. "Were there any leads on the other blood distributor?"

"That would be one of the other difficulties," I said with a tight smile.

Thankfully, Eric understood that was his cue and stated, "Magister, we tracked the patches on the jackets of the dead wolves back to a blood pack."

The Magister's fangs dropped. All of my emotions vanished with the act and the vampire in me emerged. I rolled my shoulders limberly and felt my senses hone in on the vampire before me while he hissed, "An entire pack?"

"Yes, Magister," Eric replied. He then added a couple of lies to the dish he was serving when he said, "After Sookie discovered she could glamour the two-natured, I asked her to question some of the pack members for answers. It turns out we've encountered these wolves and their master before. Godric and I have been tracking this particular pack for a thousand years. Russell Edgington is their master."

I could literally feel the surprise emanating from his mind. I could also feel it when the doubt and disbelief set in. This is why I suggested gathering evidence. Eric was a sheriff and Russell an ancient monarch. Without that evidence, our authority figures would be inclined to take Russell's word over Eric's, especially since Eric was part of the retinue of a monarch in one of Mississippi's neighboring states.

"And you have proof of this?" the Magister skeptically asked.

Eric smiled deviously at me, which did not go unnoticed by the Magister, and said, "Indeed, we do." Pam handed off the USB drive to the Magister and Eric explained, "Video of members of the pack, audio of Sookie glamouring the wolves, and a recording of Russell not only initiating a new member, but providing his ancient blood to over 30 wolves simultaneously."

"He bled into dozens of shot glasses," I added lazily while the Magister stared at the USB drive in his hand, stunned. "The wolves tossed them back, shifted, and were let loose in the city."

He snarled and growled out, "The Authority will wish to speak with you about this. Make sure the club is closed tomorrow night."

Eric bowed his head respectfully while relief and victory swept across three of my connections. A commotion at the door then drew everyone's attention. One of the guards was arguing with someone just outside the entrance and a gravelly voice cut him off, "Let me pass, vampire! He called me!"

Eric's glee shot up while Pam and Godric just felt confused. I wasn't feeling much of anything, but I probably would've felt a mixture of both when I heard that familiar voice. The guard turned and gave the Magister a questioning look, which was all the opportunity the Magister's guest needed to promptly slip right past him. The guard made a move to grab her, but refrained when the Magister waved him off.

"Ah, Dr. Ludwig!" the Magister greeted with a smile.

"Vampires," she grunted.

I'd met Dr. Ludwig once before, when I was attacked by the maenad. Bill brought me to Fangtasia for help and Eric called her in. Even though being her patient had been a brutally painful experience, she did save my life. Dr. Ludwig couldn't have been more than three feet tall, only wore hospital scrubs, and had the world's worst bedside manner. She came to a stop in front of us, a medical bag in one hand and a cane of her own in the other, and ran her eyes over all of us, pausing when she got to me.

"Dr. Ludwig," I said and smiled, "It's good to see you. I wanna thank you for savin' me from the maenad's poison. I didn't exactly have the chance to thank you that night."

"So it was a maenad. That makes sense. You're vampire now, little girl?" she asked. I nodded and she smacked Eric with her cane. He dropped fang and hissed at her, even though we could feel he was actually extremely amused. She rolled her eyes and asked, "What was the point of having me save her life if you were just going to turn her anyway?"

First Pam, now Dr. Ludwig. Why did people keep assuming Eric turned me?

"I didn't turn her," he said and retracted his fangs. "My maker did."

Godric waved at her with a small smile on his face. He really wanted to laugh and his mirth lit up in my blood like sparklers.

"Whatever," she said and rolled her eyes again. She then turned her attention back to me and eyed me curiously. Surprise and alarm shot through me when she thought directly at me, _A vampire-fairy hybrid. I've never met one before._ I tugged on my connections and started filtering her thoughts to the rest of my bloodline. _You will let me examine you, hybrid. I won't tell anyone about your spark. Doctor-patient confidentiality. Agreed?_

Godric pushed me consent while Eric and Pam flooded me with amusement. I bent my head, fractionally. Satisfaction rolled off her mind and she looked back up at the Magister and asked, "Where is he?"

Godric tugged on me and thought, _You can glamour her into keeping it quiet when she examines you._

"Sheriff, take us to the prisoner," the Magister ordered.

"We've been keeping him in the basement," Eric said as he led us to the basement door and down the stairs. The guards followed us. "He's lost a lot of blood, so I'd keep my distance, doctor."

"I fear nothing and no one," Dr. Ludwig responded and pushed past Eric on the stairs. He shrugged and chuckled, amused.

Bill had been removed from the table, manacled with silver again, and chained to the wheel. The tools set up earlier were coated with blood and chunks of things I didn't want to think about. I may have tortured Bill mentally, which was probably actually worse, but I didn't find physical torture as appealing as Eric did.

Bill was a bloody mess, but the basement itself, surprisingly, was spick and span. For some reason, I hadn't expected them to clean the basement before the Magister arrived.

Then it dawned on me.

They _didn't_ clean the basement, Bill did. Godric was livid when he found out I cleaned up Gran's blood when Bill could've done it in seconds. He promised me he would make Bill pay for that and it looked like he kept that promise. First, Godric and Eric tortured Bill and then Godric made him clean up his own blood.

Bill was certainly having a rough week.

Dr. Ludwig came to a stop a few feet from Bill, who dropped fang when the door opened and was now hissing at her. He looked paler than I'd ever seen him before and just as weak as he did when I fetched him from Lorena. She dipped a hand into her medical bag and pulled out a few bags of blood before chucking them in his direction.

"You're feeding him?" Pam asked, surprised. We all spread out around the basement and I rested myself against the wall while I watched.

"For now," Dr. Ludwig said as Bill bit into one.

Bill slowly started regaining strength, going through bag after bag. Pam snickered while he drank, cocked an eyebrow at Eric and asked, "Why is the front of his pants bloody? Did you do what I think you did?"

Eric grinned and admitted, "Godric cut it off, but he let me take a picture first for your scrapbook." The glee in Pam's blood hit us all with the force of a big rig and even the guards chuckled. Eric then turned to me with a smirk and added, "I am relieved to say, min ӓlskare, that I am not intimidated by your previous lovers."

While I used my blood to slap Eric's knee, entertaining my bloodline, Bill dropped the bag he was draining and launched himself at Eric, only to be painfully stopped short by his silver bindings. He was surrounded by vampires older than himself, chained to a torture wheel, weak, and yet still tried to attack him.

What an idiot.

"Well, Mr. Compton, it looks like you're aware enough, so listen," the Magister demanded and pushed Bill backwards with the end of his cane. "You've been caught selling the sacred blood. In fact, you've sold blood from your very own veins. Because you have no respect for your blood, neither will we. You'll be taken to the Authority's compound where Dr. Ludwig will cut you open and drain you. Then she'll feed you and do it again, as many times as she wishes. After she gathers all the blood she wants, you and I will discuss your fate." He jabbed the cane at his chest again and speculated, "Maybe we'll leave you outside to meet the sun when she's done, too weak to save yourself like the vampires taken against their will and dumped by drainers. Selling your blood insults their struggle, so maybe you should struggle that way yourself."

Well, now Dr. Ludwig's presence made sense. I vaguely remembered hearing Eric tell Bill she only tolerated vampires because of the healing properties of our blood, right before I drifted off after Dr. Ludwig worked on me and Bill fed me his blood.

That was certainly one way for her to get it.

Before Bill could even open his mouth to beg or protest, Dr. Ludwig shoved a needle into his leg. I had absolutely no idea what was in it, but Bill looked down at it incredulously and swayed on his feet for a moment before collapsing in a heap of limbs. Dr. Ludwig capped the needle, tossed it in her bag, and remarked, "Well, he'll be out for a while. Your guards can take him now."

The Magister waved the guards forward and Eric tossed one of them the keys to Bill's restraints. They quickly unlocked him and attached restraints of their own before carrying him up the stairs. As we started following them back up to the bar, Godric fell into step beside me, slipped his hand in mine, and squeezed it gently.

"Ya know, master, his blood really does smell nasty," I commented as we leisurely climbed the stairs. He threw me a questioning look so I clarified, "It tasted like I was suckin' on pennies when I was human, now the scent alone makes me feel like I have fur growin' on my tongue."

"It doesn't just smell like vampire blood to you?" he asked with a furrowed brow and surprise washed across the bond. I shook my head. He laughed and said, "Sookie, I think you might have a heightened sense of smell. What does my blood smell like to you? I mean when I bleed. Not my scent, but my actual blood?"

Only supernaturals could smell a vampire. We were undead, so we didn't possess the scent of the living and, instead, had a very unique smell that other Supes just classified as "Vampire." I often thought that "Vampire" smell was actually the scent of the magic in our blood. However, if you had the enhanced sense of smell that many Supes had, you could also pick apart our individual scents (a combination of our human scents and our maker's), like Godric smelling of untouched forests and freshly tilled soil. We considered that to be the scent of our blood and part of that scent was transferred on when we turned others. To me, though, the way vampire blood actually smelled when it hit the open air was a lot like how it tasted when I drank it. I didn't realize it smelled differently for most vampires.

"It smells the way it tastes, kinda fruity."

He laughed again and nodded, "You truly are unique, min dotter. It's a good thing I didn't meet you when I was human. I probably would've suffered a heart attack from how often you surprise me. After 2,000 years, it's amazing that I can still be surprised."

I purred at the compliment and stroked the bond. He shivered as we came to a stop, joining the others in the bar. Dr. Ludwig hobbled towards the exit, following the guard carrying Bill, and Eric called out after her, "As always, it's been a pleasure, doctor."

"Eat shit, vampire," she grumbled and flipped him off just before she walked out the door. He chuckled and our tie pulsed with delight and amusement.

"Mr. Compton's case is something the Authority will want to discuss," the Magister stated, drawing the focus back to him. "I will contact you when they have decided his fate. I imagine his end will be public. An example needs to be set." We nodded. The Magister then took a step towards me and handed me his card. "Miss Stackhouse, I owe you and your maker a debt for retrieving Mr. Compton and the work you did with the wolves. Feel free to call me with anything you need."

Godric told me the Magister was evaluating me, deciding if I would be his ally or enemy. Clearly, I was now his ally. I smiled warmly and purred, "Thank you, Magister. I will."

He kissed my hand again, gave the others a nod farewell, and left in a blur. The last of the guards quickly followed him.

"It looks like Beehl is in for quite the party at the Authority headquarters," Pam commented with glee and my veins vibrated when everyone's blood hummed in agreement. While they started discussing the night's events, I closed my eyes and focused on a memory of Jess agreeing to become my progeny, embracing the emotions I felt at that moment. My emotions made a swift return, including the insecurity and fury I felt earlier.

Apparently, I was still pissed.

All three of them stopped speaking simultaneously and silence descended on the club. Godric flooded me with concern and my other ties radiated worry. Pam gave Eric a small push through their bond and he sighed before turning to me and asking, "Can I speak with you in my office, lover?"

I was definitely not in the mood to hear what Eric had to say and protested, "Actually, I-"

Faster than I could blink, Eric tossed me over his shoulder, deciding to carry me into his office like a fireman would. Mirth erupted in my bond with Godric and Pam snickered. I stuck my tongue out at them and sent them a push that said I hoped someone threw pencils at their hearts. They both gave me a cheeky wave in response as Eric dragged me off. I could've popped away, but what would be the point? I was stalling, avoiding this conversation, but we had to have it eventually.

Might as well get it over with now.

He set me back on my feet in the middle of his office, shut the door, and started pacing the room. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he asked, still pacing, "Why are you so angry with me, Sookie? I don't understand."

That made two of us.

I tried to keep the overwhelming disappointment I felt out of my voice, even though I knew he felt it in the tie, when I reluctantly admitted, "Yvetta very vividly remembered _things_ earlier, Eric. I didn't even have a chance to shield myself from those memories and I'm angry because I really wish I hadn't seen them. That and I thought…" My voice faltered and I unnecessarily cleared it. "I thought you and I were exclusive when you told me you wanna exchange with me. I didn't realize that you're still seein' others and it threw me." I paused for a second, focused my eyes on the wall, and softly asked, "Did you claim her, Eric?"

He put himself before me at vamp speed and tipped my chin up with his fingertips so I would look in him in the eye. He studied my face with a furrowed brow and said, "No. I haven't claimed Yvetta and there are no others, min ӓlskare. She is not mine. Yvetta was just a feed. She's never been mine."

 _Haven't claimed anyone since the night I met you. Only want you_ , he thought at me in slightly accented English.

"You just sleep with all your feeds?" I asked incredulously. "Do you fuck all your feeds senseless for six hours straight too?"

If he did, we had an even bigger problem.

He winced and slid his hand from my chin to my neck and stroked my jugular with his thumb while he argued, "You've experienced sex as a vampire now, Sookie. You know what our stamina is like and how sexual feeding is. You also know that it's just sex and blood with feeds. Did it mean anything to you when you fucked your feed in Jackson?"

 _What?!_

I flinched and looked up at him, completely bewildered. Did Eric really think I slept with someone in Jackson? I only fed from the source once when we were there and my feed did try something, but I stopped anything from happening. The only man I slept with that night was the one standing right in front of me. Did he seriously think I slept with someone and then slept with him only hours later?

Disgust rolled through me at the idea and I took a step backwards. His hand slipped from my throat with the movement and he let it drop to his side, surprised I had pulled away from him. His eyes narrowed and he studied me intently, searching my facial expression for a clue of some sort to explain why I would react to his words in such a way. His confusion over my reaction leaked into the tie before understanding dawned on him.

Slowly, Eric took a step towards me and I firmly kept the distance between us by stepping further backwards. He stepped towards me again and both of us repeated this little song and dance until my back hit the door, effectively bringing us both to a halt. He lifted his hands to the door and braced himself against it, boxing me in, and leaned forward, bringing himself close enough that his breath ghosted over my face and sent a shiver down my spine.

The heat in his eyes nearly scorched me with its intensity and my stomach overflowed with nervous butterflies. His eyes blazed a trail across my face as he sought out his answers and I swore I could feel his fingertips following the path his eyes took, like he was tracing the features on my face with the most exquisite and gentle touch I'd ever experienced. He was stripping me bare with just that one look and I'd never felt so exposed before. Under his penetrating gaze I felt naked, like he could see right through me. It felt as if all my secrets were laid out before him in a book and he was currently perusing the pages.

When Eric finally spoke, his words came out in a throaty whisper, "I felt your intense pleasure, your lust, the first night you were in Jackson. I could tell you were feeding, but it was more than that, Sookie. Your feed was _touching_ you. Are you telling me you pulled back in bloodlust? That you stopped him, went against your instincts, when you felt that much need? That much lust?"

I didn't answer him and hadn't planned to, still too pissed to feel cooperative, but my blood pulled an Eric on me and tattled by firmly asserting a very vocal, "Yes!"

His amusement briefly flared and he licked his lips, sending a jolt of lust through me, before he dipped his head and leaned even closer, stopping barely an inch away from my lips, and asked, "How? What did you think about to pull yourself out of bloodlust, min ӓlskare?"

My breath hitched, needlessly, and that alone gave him his answer. Such a powerful wave of his pleasure rolled through our tie that my fangs throbbed and my mouth actually watered.

"You thought of me, Sookie," he said slowly as he trailed a hand down the length of my body and the pleasure he felt intensified when my blood didn't instantly refute it. He licked his lips again and murmured, "You thought of me and it brought you back from bloodlust." Astonishment and confidence joined the pleasure he felt as he spoke, melting together in the tie in a heady and potent mix.

I couldn't deny it. That was the one thing I couldn't do with the blood, the one thing that gave Eric away when I claimed him. We could shield our emotions, but we couldn't create and broadcast false ones. If I denied it, he would be able to tell from my blood that I was lying by the lack of emotions radiating out from me, so I did the only thing I could. I tried to spin this back on him by scoffing and asking, "Why would I do that?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, brushed my lips with his, and said in an incredibly low and husky voice that had my lust sky-rocketing and my inner muscles clenching, "Because you love me."

Aw shit.

I couldn't deny that either, so even though I shielded my blood to keep it from answering him, he got his confirmation anyway when he felt no denial. His eyes widened and he pressed himself closer to me while the very air around us started to cave in on me, rapidly growing heavier and tenser, and I struggled to breathe. I suddenly realized with crystal clarity that there was no point in shielding that emotion from him anymore. He already knew. Besides, I had planned on revealing it to him whenever we decided to exchange. He just pushed the timetable up.

"You sure about that, Viking?" I asked, infusing my tone with skepticism. He may have forced me into another corner, literally and figuratively, but I was still going to do this on _my_ terms.

He nodded slowly and his eyes darkened, taking on a gleam full of pure lust as he whispered, "Oh, I'm sure."

"Positive?" I challenged. Eric loved it when I challenged him.

He nodded again and nipped my bottom lip while anticipation started mounting in our tie. Then he dropped his wandering hand to my waist, wrapped his arm around me, and pulled me flush against him.

"Well, I guess if you're absolutely sure," I said casually with a shrug, destroyed the final shield I kept around my heart, and pushed my love to him.

Eric froze and his emotions scattered, abandoning him faster than sailors on a sinking ship. He pulled back a little to look at me and caress my face, once again staring at me like he was trying to memorize my facial features to keep stored inside for eternity. My own emotions promptly scattered when a blood tear slipped down his cheek. I reached up with both hands and laced them behind his neck, tugged him closer to me, and licked the tear from it. He trembled underneath my touch, trying to adjust to feeling such a strong and powerful emotion, and breathed deeply before letting go of my waist to bring that hand to my face as well. He searched my eyes for a second longer while his thumbs stroked my cheeks and then slid his hands into my braided hair while he brought his lips to mine and kissed me passionately, desperately, taking my mouth in the most frenzied and urgent kiss of my life.

He then ripped his lips from mine and slammed me back against the door, but not hard enough to hurt me, and rasped out, "Say it, Sookie. Say it."

I fought that aggressiveness with tenderness by gently pushing my hands into his hair and dragging my nails across his scalp, making him sigh in pleasure, before trailing my fingers down to his neck to tug on the collar of his jacket and whispered, "I love you."

He rumbled with pleasure and leaned down to kiss me again, stopped just before he reached my lips, and murmured, "Och jag alskar dig, min lilla lejoninna." [And I love you, my little lioness.]

I hadn't learned that phrase in Swedish yet, but I quickly understood when Eric pushed me a new and very deep emotion that I had never felt from him before.

It really shouldn't have shocked the hell out of me when he pushed it, but it did.

When it hit me, everything else fell away, nothing else mattered. His emotion was so intense, just like mine, but in a completely different way. Whereas mine was gentle and caressed the blood with warmth and tenderness, his love was desperate and frenzied. My love burned through his veins, lighting up a path to his heart and Eric loved me just as powerfully, but it was feverish and wild. It felt like being loved by a force of nature, like being embraced by a windstorm. My knees nearly buckled when that storm made landfall, crashing into me from all sides and coating my entire body with the way he felt for me. And it struck me with such force that all the air in my lungs left me in a rush. He loved me furiously and the intensity at which he loved me made blood tears trickle down my cheeks.

For a second, I had the urge to laugh at how violently he loved me. What else did I expect from a freaking Viking?

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

While I fought for air I didn't need as I tried to adjust to the sheer strength of it, he brought his hands back to my face, cradling it, and leaned down to lick my cheeks free of tears like I had done for him.

I spun us, only able to do so because I caught Eric off guard, and slammed _him_ back against the door. He looked at me, surprised, and his lips twitched. I pulled him down to me by the collar of his jacket for another long, passionate kiss and he quickly grabbed me by the waist and lifted me. He held me up while I braced his hips with my knees, not yet wrapping my legs around him since his back was still resting against the door. When I pulled back his lips chased after mine. I growled at him and a thrill shot through him and his lust rose before I demanded, "Tell me your mine, Eric."

He gave me a slow, cocky smile when he felt the fierce rush of possessiveness that was running through my veins and said, "I'm yours."

"Now tell me I'm yours," I ordered just as forcefully.

Eric had yet to actually say that I was. I knew he felt possessive over me and hated the idea of anyone other than him touching me, but he hadn't called me his. And I understood why he hadn't. He didn't say it for two reasons. First, he knew I was a newborn and newborns were usually very sexual. He didn't want to call me his if I couldn't be _only_ his. There was a flaw in that logic though. I wasn't the typical newborn, which he now understood since he'd just learned I didn't fuck my feeds. Secondly, Eric knew from my blood that I loathed it when Bill threw it out there. That was different though. It always felt wrong when Bill said it. I didn't know if that was because the wrong person was calling me his or if it was because, when I was human, it felt like Bill was trying to establish ownership over me, like I was property. It meant something different to me now. I was vampire and I wouldn't be considered a pet if Eric called me his and if anybody claimed ownership in our relationship, it would only be because we owned each other's hearts.

I was more than fine with that. In fact, I _wanted_ to hear him say it.

His eyebrows flew up and his smile disappeared. He searched my eyes intently for a moment, making sure I really meant it, and brought a hand up to trace my jawline before pushing me pleasure and giving me a smile more beautiful than a kid's on Christmas morning. "Sookie Stackhouse, you're mine," he said softly.

My heart clenched when he finally said it, which delighted him. He closed his eyes for a second and savored the feeling of being warmed by the sun and showered in millions of kisses and caresses.

"No one else," I whispered and he opened his eyes again to stare into my own. "Just me."

He nodded, brought his lips back to mine to kiss me tenderly, and murmured, "Just you."


	35. Chapter 35: The Ties That Bind

**_A/N:_**

 _Ready for another chapter?! So this one is a couple of days late. Real life beckoned me away and I didn't have the time to polish this up for you until yesterday, but it's ready now! I usually try to post every 4-5 days, so I'm hoping to get back on that schedule next chapter. This chapter has been highly anticipated and contains a certain bonding scene. Because our favorite couple is already in love and Eric fully remembers his life, I decided to have fun with it and altered it, so they do not slip into a snowy shower world, but I think you'll enjoy this alternate approach anyway. Fingers crossed._

 _I had a guest reviewer ask me when exactly Eric last hooked up with Yvetta and since I couldn't answer that question via PM, let me do it now. It was the night Godric and Sookie showed up at Fangtasia, hours before the Queen and Magister arrived and closed up the bar. Sookie said she couldn't tell from Yvetta's memories when they were last together but that it had been within the last few days. When I say a "few days," I mean up to a period of 4-6 days, not a couple. A couple days usually refers to 2-3. That's how I was taught, so that's how I wrote it. Sookie wasn't sure if Eric had hooked up with Yvetta while she was in Jackson, but found out last chapter that he hadn't. I hope that clears things up for you!_

 _I'm planning on including this on my Wordpress site, but for you FFN readers who like listening to music while you read, play Finger Eleven's song "One Thing" when you get down to the paragraph in EPOV that begins with, "When she turned back to me…" In fact, I recommend hitting repeat on it. I listened to that song several times while I wrote that scene._

 _And... next chapter I'm pretty sure we'll be meeting with the Authority. Yeehaw!_

 _Finally, thank you to all of you amazing readers who took the time to nominate and/or vote for_ _ **To Protect My Kin**_ _in the_ _ **New Blood Awards**_ _. This story placed second in_ _ **The Saucy Award**_ _for Best Sookie and third in_ _ **The Viking Award**_ _for Best Eric. Sookie is caressing you all with her blood in gratitude and Eric's pushing you friskiness. Feel free to smack him on the back of the head._

 _Just don't be surprised if he drops fang and drains you._

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I in no way own True Blood or the Southern Vampire Mysteries. TB and SVM belong to Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO in their entirety. I just took the ingredients from their menu and created my own dishes. I recommend trying The Viking A La Carte!_

* * *

 **GPOV**

"You were right, Grandsire," Pam breathed. Tremors wracked her entire body and her voice shook. I wiped blood tears from my face as I turned my attention away from the closed office door and back to Pamela. "I didn't think it was possible for Sookie to love him as much as he loves her, I didn't think anyone could love someone as much as Eric loves her. I was wrong. She does."

I nodded as my vision blurred again. Neither of us expected our bonds and ties with Eric and Sookie to fill with such powerful and indescribably beautiful emotions when Eric first dragged Sookie off and slammed the door. To be honest, we had expected a fight, their first one. Pam explained to me who the dancer was after they disappeared and I wasn't surprised Sookie was angry and feeling insecure. Eric hadn't made it clear to his past feeds that he would no longer be enjoying them physically and that would certainly send a mixed message to Sookie, who already harbored doubts about whether Eric could be monogamous.

Pam also explained to me that Eric hadn't seen the dancer since before we showed up a few days ago, so Eric really didn't have the opportunity to end whatever arrangement they had. With the way Eric felt for Sookie, I knew he wouldn't risk destroying their new relationship by sleeping with others, but Sookie didn't. She could be very insecure and even though she'd grown considerably in the last month, she still had areas that needed work. Her self-esteem, especially after everything that happened with Bill Compton, was one of them.

So it was definitely a surprise when the love Sookie felt for Eric suddenly encompassed the bond and barreled down her tie to Eric, lighting up my bond with him and echoing across all of their connections. It was radiant, beautiful, glowed the most exquisite golden color, and embraced us all with the warmth of the sun. Pam and I had frozen in our tracks as it flowed into us and Nora went into another case of Vampire shock. Then Eric released his own love, which whipped across all of his connections with the force of a tornado, sweeping us all up in the storm that was his love for her.

We dug in and held on for dear life as we dealt with the combination of the two and were honestly still trying to acclimate to feeling them. They hadn't died down any, even though Sookie and Eric were no longer actively pushing love to each other. Both emotions could be found just beneath the surface, flowing back and forth in steady streams and we could tap into them any time we wished. Now that they were no longer shielding love from each other, we would all have to adjust to sensing those emotions from them constantly.

"Yes, she does," I agreed as I wiped another tear from my face.

I was a little worried Nora would be a problem at some point. She was not reacting positively to the emotions she was experiencing from her bloodline and there was nothing I could do about that. Right now, she was positively seething with jealousy, bitterness, and anger. Eric had never been in love with Nora, but I don't think she actually realized that until this very moment. Now that she knew how it felt to experience love of a romantic nature from Eric, she knew without a doubt that he'd never felt it for her.

I, on the other hand, was extremely relieved Sookie and Eric were finally letting each other experience that love. It'd been difficult trying to keep them from taking things a step further at first and I was glad I no longer even had to try. I didn't normally interfere with the love lives of my progenies, but Sookie had just recently been hurt and I didn't want her hurt again if Eric engaged in a sexual relationship with her and later tried to treat her like he'd treated all the women from his past relationships.

Before Sookie, Eric had never experienced what it was like to truly be in love. Going a thousand years without ever having that type of love would make it difficult for anyone to even understand what love was, let alone recognize that love was what they were feeling. I knew he loved her, but I wanted to make sure Eric _realized_ he loved her before he took the next step with her, otherwise he would hurt her and I couldn't allow that. To my surprise, Eric did realize he loved her, that he was in love with her, and pushed it to me the night before we left for Mississippi. After that moment, I stopped interfering and started hoping that they would make the leap and show each other those emotions soon.

"Do you think he'll bond with her?" Pam asked, conflicted. Part of her hoped they would and another part of her was afraid of what that would mean. My granddaughter had never been a very big fan of change.

I smiled at her and said, "I believe they'll be forming a first level one tonight. I do not know if they've discussed forming a bond beyond that, but I do know they've experienced the bonding pull, Pamela, so I hope they do."

Wonder filled our tie as she absorbed my words. She nodded seriously, gave me a rare, tender smile, and whispered, "Then I hope so too."

 **EPOV**

"I mean it, Eric. No more fuckin' your fee-" I cut her off with another kiss and stepped away from the door. She tucked her legs around me as I walked over to the desk and set her down on it, keeping her lips busy with mine the whole way. When I pulled back, she breathlessly continued, "I ever catch you with anyone and I'll light your ass up."

I chuckled and brought my hands up to her neck, stroking her skin with my thumbs while I tangled my fingers in her hair, and vowed, "You have my word."

I always knew Sookie would demand monogamy of me and I'd already made my peace with that. She was more than enough for me and I would undoubtedly have my hands full for eternity. In fact, Sookie had even managed to convert me to that belief, which was something no one else had been able to do in all my years.

When I felt her rising lust and pleasure in Jackson, I snapped. She obviously hadn't noticed the wall behind her now had two holes in it or that one of the desk drawers was missing a handle because I'd broken it clean off. Not wanting to make her feel self-conscious about her nature, I shielded my reaction from her in the blood and took it out on my office instead. I knew she couldn't help it if feeding provoked her lust and realized it would take some time before she would be able to feed from the source without needing to sate herself sexually, before she could develop a level of control. It took me a while to calm myself down that night and I realized at that moment why so many humans preferred monogamy.

I really needed to stop thinking Sookie would ever act like a typical newborn.

I leaned forward and kissed her again, relishing the sweet taste of her lips. When she tightened her hold on me with her legs, I broke the kiss and slid my lips down to her neck, dropped my fangs, and dragged them over her jugular. Her lust shot up and her own fangs dropped. I lowered my hands to the hem of her shirt, slipped them beneath it, and stroked my fingers across her slightly heated skin while tasting and sucking on the more delicious spots of her neck. Obviously, I was not doing my job correctly, because she was still coherent enough to speak. She moaned out, "Godric says you should never break your word to a fairy."

I smiled and my shoulders shook with silent laughter. I pulled back, brought my hands back to her face, chuckling again when she whimpered at the loss, and said, "And I won't, min ӓlskare. I'm sorry about Yvetta. When you came back from Texas, I completely forgot about her. I haven't thought about her once and when I saw her tonight I realized how it would look to you. For that, I am sorry."

Yvetta had completely slipped my mind and when I saw her earlier, while feeling Sookie's anger and possessiveness, I knew I was in deep shit. Sookie could read minds and obviously saw that I'd been feeding from Yvetta and that I hadn't yet put a stop to things. Yvetta assumed I was still interested in her because of that fact, even though I definitely wasn't. I thought everything was over and done with though when Sookie glamoured Yvetta away and didn't realize until just now how big a deal it was to her, especially since I thought she fucked her feed in Jackson. I didn't understand why she was so angry, but I understood now.

She searched my eyes for a moment, raised her fingers to my lips, and traced them with her fingertips while she thought. I may have growled when she then softly said, "I love you."

I would never get tired of hearing that.

She smiled, lowered her hand back down to my neck, and stretched upward to kiss me. Honestly, I was still a little shell-shocked to hear that she did. It was even more amazing to feel. And she hadn't tucked tail and run when she felt the strength of my own love. Instead, she threw her side of the tie wide open and soaked it all up, like she was storing it inside to save for a rainy day. To top off one of the most surprising and pleasurable moments in my existence, she wanted to hear me call her mine. No, she didn't just want to hear it. She wanted to _be_ mine.

It was the only thing I ever really wanted. _She_ was the only one I wanted and I would trade it all, give up every woman in the world if it meant being with her.

With that thought, I pulled back again, loving the fact she always needlessly panted when I kissed her, and said in a low and husky voice, "Exchange with me."

She blinked a couple times, probably trying to focus on something other than lust, looked around and asked, "Right now?"

"Yes, right now," I said intently and pressed myself closer to her so she could _feel_ how much I wanted her in that moment, smirking when she moaned.

She blinked again, looked around once more, and said, "Not here… Nothin' will ever happen in here until you burn this desk," then pointed behind me, "that couch, and your chair."

Sookie obviously saw more than a couple _things_ in Yvetta's mind.

"You're going to make me wait," I slowly stated while disappointment swelled in our tie. She smiled mischievously at me, which had more than just my lust on the rise, and pushed me backwards so she could get up. Standing on her tippy toes, she pressed her lips to mine again while she tugged on her connections and thought, _Eric and I are goin' to the farmhouse. Night everyone!_ Sookie then popped us into her bedroom in Bon Temps while I chuckled.

Well, that was _definitely_ convenient.

I'd only ever been in Sookie's bedroom once before, after the maenad nearly destroyed everything. Being able to cross the threshold and enter her home crushed something inside of me and made it painfully clear Sookie did actually die in Dallas. Until that moment, I held onto the feeble hope that maybe Godric was mistaken, that Sookie was alive somewhere and the amount of blood in the basement didn't really mean anything. That hope vanished as soon as I stepped inside her house. Like a lovesick idiot, I may have stolen her pillow, which was the only thing still smothered in her scent, and taken it home with me.

 _She wouldn't be getting it back either._

Looking around now, it appeared the crews I hired did a great job of patching everything up and getting the place back together. It was a little bare, since so many things had to be thrown away, but any evidence that a supernatural creature trashed it was gone. According to Godric, he had a day-rest area installed beneath the house, but I could now see there were also screens installed over the windows on automated timers. Her room was styled to match the rest of the house with a country, homey feel, and wooden floors. Flowered wallpaper covered two walls and the other two were painted with a cream color that ran about halfway down and a rose color the rest of the way. Her bed had a worn and weathered, white wooden frame and the mattress was covered in a handmade, patchwork quilt. The whole room was coated in her heavenly scent and my eyes nearly rolled back into my head and stayed there when I smelled it.

Sookie brought my attention back to her when she shot a couple very thin streams of sunlight around the room, lighting a couple candles on her nightstands, dresser, and desk. Honestly, neither of us needed the light, we had perfect night vision and the moonlight pouring in through the window was more than enough.

It certainly set the mood though.

When she turned back to me, my breath caught in my throat and I found myself grateful I no longer needed to breathe. She was so beautiful. The moonlight seemed to cling to her skin, mingling with her already unique supernatural aura and casting an almost ethereal, angelic glow over her features and hair. I reached out and touched her cheek with my fingertips, needing to prove to myself she was real. Her breath hitched again, a noise that was quickly becoming one of my favorite sounds, and she pressed herself closer to me. I dipped my head lower and kissed her tenderly while I slid her jacket off. She followed my lead and we slowly undressed each other, taking the time to taste each newly revealed piece of skin with our mouths while we worked.

I gently freed her golden locks from her Nordic braid as I kissed her and lifted her by the waist once more. She locked her legs around me, crossing them at her ankles, and I slowly lowered her to the bed. While she ran her fingers through my hair, I wrapped my hands around her calves and languidly trailed them up her legs. My fangs throbbed from how much I wanted her, so I kept them busy too and used them to scratch a path down her body, starting at her throat, and caught the heavenly blood that spilled out with my tongue and lips. She released the most beautiful, erotic moans as I stroked my hands and tongue up and down her body, trembling from the lust she felt as I tasted her.

When my hand found itself between her legs, I pushed into her, curled my fingers to stroke her G-spot, and massaged her clit with the heel of my palm. She arched into me, cried out my name in a breathy voice that I knew would have me hard for days, and shuddered with her release. I brought my lips to hers again and tucked her bottom lip between my teeth before kissing her more heatedly. I picked the pace up even more when she used her blood to caress me everywhere, dragging dozens of mental hands across my body and dancing hundreds of mental fingers over the muscles in my arms, legs, and back. The loudest purr of my life erupted from my chest and I kissed her with an almost bruising force.

That, _that right there_ , was just one of the many reasons I would never be satisfied with anyone else. Everything was new with her. Every time felt like the first time.

Sookie caught me off guard for the second time tonight and fluidly rolled us so that I was beneath her. She smiled beautifully at me and leaned down to kiss me, encasing us both behind a golden waterfall with honeyed curls raining down around us. I weaved my hands into those curls as she started to pull back, holding her there so her face hovered just inches above mine, and thickly said, "I love you, Sookie Stackhouse."

Our tie overflowed with her love as she drowned me in so much pleasure that I nearly came like a schoolboy and gave our tie a sensual caress that made me tremble. With a final peck, she sat back up, took me in hand, and slowly lowered herself onto me. We both moaned as she took me in, surrounding me with the feel of warmth and velvet.

I definitely appreciated the fact that she ran hotter than most vampires.

I dropped my hands to her hips when she began to move and my eyes took a fascinating tour of the back of my head when she started rolling them like a belly-dancer. After they focused once again, she made me go cross-eyed by clenching her inner muscles to give me an X-rated caress. I'd forgotten how talented the Fae were at dancing and Sookie could move her body like a performer of the highest caliber.

I planned on spending the next thousand years finding out how flexible she really was.

When I was finally able to uncross my eyes, I made her sinfully moan again by slowly sitting up and changing our position. I tucked one arm around her waist while placing the other behind me to help brace us, resting most of my weight on it. She stared into my eyes and lifted her fingertips to my jaw, tracing the outline of my face as she rolled her hips. We both cried out and stilled completely when I pulled my legs inward, crossing them. I rested my forehead against hers and she looped her arms around my neck with unsteady hands as we adjusted to the new position.

Who needs vampire erotica?

Not me. I had _Sookie_.

Every time I moved I would be bumping up against her pleasure zone and with Sookie's legs open a little wider like they now were, she felt impossibly tighter. We stayed like that, drawing it out as long as possible to make it that much more intense when we started to move again. Locked together in that embrace, my breath intimately mingled with hers and her chest heaved with each pant of air. She moved her head a fraction to kiss me and I gently trailed my fingers up and down the side of her body while we caressed each other with our lips.

When neither of us could stand it any longer, we moved as one. Sookie immediately climaxed and threw her head back as she cried out, bending backwards over my arm in the most erotic and sensual display I'd ever seen.

Oh, I _definitely_ planned on finding out just how flexible she was.

I nearly growled out, "MINE!" right then and there. It was only the fact that she wanted to hear me say it earlier that kept me from shouting it to the empty room.

Apparently she only needed to feed my inner caveman's ego once a night.

I locked down every muscle in my body to keep myself from following her, waiting for her to regain her senses. Finally, Sookie lazily sat back up and brought both of her hands to my face, feeling extremely tender and satisfied in the tie. I didn't even realize I was purring until she leaned in and kissed me, distracting me with her mouth as she started moving again. I slowed the kiss to a stop when I felt us both hovering over the golden edge, brought my mouth to her ear, and nipped her earlobe. I whispered, "Now, lover," and tilted my head to the side, baring my neck to her.

She sealed her lips over my jugular while I sought out her own, licked it once to numb the area, and sucked on it to bring the vein to the surface. We both bit down at the same time. That small bit of pain amidst the torrent of pleasure triggered the most intense tantric orgasm of my existence. I literally threw my head back, roared when it hit me, and Sookie whimpered before we both slid our fangs back into each other's necks and pulled. Aftershocks rippled through us while we drank, each pull drawing it out even longer.

I had never before experienced anything like it. I'd had a tantric orgasm before, but nothing like this. On top of the physical pleasure and ecstasy that we rode out in waves, there was the connection itself. I could feel the tie between us transforming into a bond, strengthening and thickening, like it was a thread that was folding back in on itself, creating the links of an iron chain. It wouldn't be permanent until our third exchange, but it had to be half as strong as my maker/child bond with Godric. We both felt the pull to bond, which meant we'd probably form a stronger bond than the average vampire would and, if it continued to strengthen at this current rate, it would be much stronger than my bond with my maker. It already nearly matched the strength of the bond I had with Pam.

Because Sookie and I both had strong bonds with Godric and a tie with each other, we could feel each other pretty strongly and the bond hadn't increased the amount we felt, but it had increased the _quality_ of it all. Her emotions were so much clearer, as if they were now being broadcast in High Definition. I could feel the heat that radiated off her when she felt passion, the iciness when she felt anger, the drug-inducing quality of her lust, and so much more. Before that moment, I could only feel that aspect of her most intense emotions, like her love. We were connected on such an intimate level now.

And I fucking loved it.

Every vein in my body hummed and vibrated when she drank from me and I could literally feel my blood pouring into her and taking root. Likewise, I could feel hers flooding into my system and lacing unshakeable strands around our tie, weaving themselves into something much sturdier. We were truly one in that moment, animated by the same magic with the same blood running through our veins. The way we just barely echoed each other every time we pulled and swallowed actually imitated the pulse of the living. It felt like my heart was beating for the first time in over a thousand years. I could feel Sookie's wonder, incredulity, and awe, so I knew it felt the same to her.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, drinking from each other. Neither of us needed to breathe and we wouldn't die from blood loss because we were continuously feeding, so we just stayed swept up in that embrace for what somehow felt like both an eternity and a single, fleeting moment.

We randomly retracted our fangs within seconds of one another, letting the wounds close, and licked up the remaining drops of blood before staring into each other's eyes, never once ceasing to stroke, caress, and touch the other's skin like we were two tripped up kids on E.

I felt amazing. Energized. Invincible.

And _drunk_.

"Eric," Sookie sighed and I nuzzled my head against her hair while I purred. All of Sookie's emotions were out of focus and fuzzy. When I pulled back to look at her, I realized she was high.

She was high and I was drunk.

Any thought I had of telling her this fled me when she leaned forward to rub her nose along mine, giving me an Eskimo kiss, and giggled. I smiled and ran my fingers through her curls, fascinated with how they felt like silk, when a golden beam of light on the wall behind her caught my attention.

"Sookie," I said with my brows knitted together in confusion. I pointed at it and she looked over her shoulder and followed the light back to its source on the wall behind me.

Her eyes widened and panic shot through her. Before I could turn around to see for myself why she was so alarmed, the walls started crumbling. Light filtered in from every direction as the ceiling and walls came tumbling down all around us. I flinched, immediately shutting my eyes and shielding my face, when the sunlight hit me.

"Eric," Sookie whispered and cupped my face. "Eric! Eric, look! You're not burnin'. Open your eyes, Viking. It's not hurtin' you."

She was right; it was definitely _not_ hurting me. In fact, it felt the same way it did when Sookie pushed me love, like I was being caressed by thousands of hands and blanketed in millions of tender kisses. I opened my eyes and stared at Sookie's face in the sunlight, a sight I thought I would never get the chance to see. The rays of the sun were literally dancing across my skin, but all I cared about was Sookie in that moment. To see the sunshine in her hair? To have a chance to look at Sookie in her element, in the light?

I hadn't considered myself a religious man since the night I was turned and locked out of Valhalla, but in that moment I was truly thanking my gods. I brought my hands up to her face and traced her features with my fingertips in a daze, suddenly realizing this _was_ my Valhalla.

She giggled and pushed me delight while lowering her hands to my abs and playfully nipped at one of my fingers. I kissed her. I kissed her for everything I was worth, pouring every ounce of experience I'd gained in the last thousand years into it while showering our newly formed bond in lust, euphoria, ecstasy, astonishment, and love. A breeze suddenly kicked up, feeling incredible in the warmth of the sun when it brushed against my skin. It then blew harder, whipping around us with force and random bits of clothing and paper flew around her room, caught up in it. Oddly, we seemed to be in the eye of it, where the breeze was still gentle and tender.

We broke the kiss when a stray gust of air nearly knocked us over and I looked around for the first time. The walls on the second landing had completely crumbled and fallen away and the attic and roof were just gone. Somehow, from the position of the sun hovering low in the sky, it appeared to be evening and the sky was full of the most dazzling hues of gold, purple, red, pink, orange, and blue. It was past midnight when we left the club, but now it was dusk.

Sookie gently untangled her limbs from mine and slowly stood up. I groaned at the loss of contact and she laughed when I pouted. She hopped off the bed and walked over to the edge of the house, her hair billowing in the wind as she walked. Even over the sound of the wind, I heard her when she gasped and was at her side before I even consciously decided to move. I stepped up behind her, encircled her waist with my arms, and tucked her against me, firmly securing her there, before I looked out across Sookie's land.

Wheat. As far as the eye could see in every direction were golden fields of wheat. Everything, the woods, the cemetery, the road, had all disappeared and wheat had sprung up in its place. The fields rippled in the wake of the wind, moving like waves of the ocean. All of it had a surreal quality to it, like it'd all been enhanced by a magical glow. I scented the air, idly wondering why I hadn't before, and savored the smell of sunlight, wheat, and… the sea. The wind carried the scent of the sea on it and the scent alone nearly tricked me into believing time had rewound and I was back in my homeland, about to embark on a voyage with my father over a thousand years ago.

"It's the way we feel for each other," Sookie murmured. I pushed her confusion and she spun around in my arms and laced her hands together behind my neck. "How it feels when we push each other love," she explained. "When I push you love, it feels like light itself is caressin' you, right?" I nodded. "And when I feel your love, it's like I'm bein' embraced by a windstorm." The eye of that storm seemed to follow us to the edge of the landing and the wind swirled around us in that moment. "And the wheat, it's part of my scent-"

"And the sea is part of mine," I finished for her, slurring just a little. It wasn't part of my typical scent, but it was part of the scent Sookie thought she could smell when she claimed I smelled like the ocean in winter. She nodded enthusiastically.

"How is this possible, Eric?" she asked.

I smiled boyishly at her while the wind blew my bangs across my face, probably making me look even more boyish, shrugged my shoulders, and said, "Anything is possible with you. You happen to be both fairy and vampire. If that's possible, what isn't?"

Mirth and affection lit up across the bond and her blood softly hummed in agreement. She then fell silent for a moment before quietly asking, "Is this normal? Godric didn't mention anythin' like this when he told me about bonding."

"No," I answered honestly, stroking her cheek with one hand while I trailed the other up and down the side of her body, quickly becoming distracted by the fact that she was still naked and I was very, very drunk. "Maybe it's the fairy blood. Or the combination of the two in you? Or your fairy blood and my ancient blood."

She contemplated my answer and asked, "Do you think it's possible my fairy blood can let vampires day-walk?"

I froze, temporarily sobering and not liking that idea at all. The scary part was it could definitely be possible because _Sookie could day-walk_.

"Who told you this?" I asked her urgently.

She swallowed nervously, "I read it in Bill's mind. Sophie-Anne apparently wanted me for more than my telepathy. She thought she could day-walk if she drank from me and Bill found out by researchin' everythin' he could on the Fae."

We needed to test it, to find out if that theory was right. If it was, then we also needed to make sure Sookie had the opportunity to glamour that idea out of the Queen's mind. Nothing good would come from Sophie-Anne having that knowledge and, honestly, Sookie should probably glamour her even if it turned out to be false. I took solace from one thing about what Sookie just told me, that she found out from Bill and Bill was the world's biggest idiot. There was nothing else we could do at the moment and I could feel my drunken stupor quickly returning, stealing my ability to focus with it. Sookie was losing focus herself, swaying like a leaf in the wind and seemingly enthralled with my chest muscles.

I flexed them for her and she licked her lips as her lust skyrocketed. I laughed and was about to indulge in that lust when another thought slapped me silly and I asked her, "Lover, why didn't you want to show us what happened with Bill earlier?"

Godric told me not to push her on this, but it had me worried. I thought there was a pretty good chance she would tell me in her buzzed state and I was nothing if not an opportunist.

She slowly met my eyes before looking at everything _except_ my eyes, extremely flustered, and blushed in the blood, which threw me the most.

Why the hell would she blush?

"Sookie?" I asked and pushed her my bafflement.

She sighed and mumbled, "I screwed up, okay?"

Screwed up? What did that mean? He was still undead, so she couldn't have screwed up _that_ badly.

"How?" I asked, needing clarification, and impatiently waited by running my nose along her throat and dropping my hands to her butt.

"I screwed up," she moaned. She buried her face against my chest and her muffled voice said, "I told Bill I loved you before I told you. I wouldn't show Godric 'cause I wanted to tell you first. And I didn't want the first time you heard it to be when I was tauntin' that _jackass_."

I stilled as only the undead could and slowly tilted her face back up so I could stare at her. Gods, this woman was perfect. Here I was, worried she was shielding shame or hiding something he said to her that she was reluctant to tell us, when really she was just worried about how _I_ felt.

I grinned, blasting apart her nerves and scattering them to the winds, and admitted, "Now I _really_ wish I had been there." She just blinked at me a couple times in reply. "Lover, it's fine. I would've done the same thing. Actually, Godric and I definitely used you to taunt him, so I guess I did do the same thing. But I do want you to show me." When her reluctance surfaced in the bond, I persuasively argued, "It's only fair since I should've heard those words first."

Yes, I was playing dirty, but I only did that when I desperately wanted something and I desperately wanted to see what happened with Compton.

She barely kept herself from smiling and sighed while relief pooled in the bond. Her relief felt like drinking a cold glass of water on a hot, sticky day and I wanted to sigh myself when I felt it. She then closed her eyes and I followed her lead.

Forget fantasizing about watching Sookie put Bill in his place, the reality was so much better. Watching the way she led Bill into a trap, letting him think he actually had a shot at convincing her everything he did was for her benefit, that she believed him, while she scoured his mind for memories she could use against him was both a pleasure and a torment. I desperately wanted to make love to her but couldn't if I wanted to see the rest and nearly snarled because I couldn't do both in that moment. She was the ultimate strategist, the ultimate predator while she circled Bill and everything she did, every question she asked, was done with a purpose in mind.

Once she got what she wanted, she then used it all against him and destroyed him with it. I unconsciously started flooding her with lust as she streamed her memory to me, unaware I was even doing it until she moaned and her fangs dropped. I could see why she didn't want to replay it for me, but watching her taunt Bill with how much she loved me was a huge fucking turn-on and I was so incredibly glad I convinced her to show me. When she finished the memory off, I slammed my mouth against hers for a wild kiss while I pulled her flush against me, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist.

I gave her a chance to suck in air she didn't need by nipping my way back down to her neck and running my lips over her jugular again, enthralled with the sound of her whimpers. She gasped in air like a dying man and breathlessly said, "Shit. Torture really does turn you on, huh?"

I chuckled and blew air over the sensitive spot behind her ear, unsurprised when she shivered, and protested, "No, not all torture." She sent me disbelief and I confessed, "Billy Boy's? Yes, because it's been a long time coming. He deserved it for what he did to you and for what he put Pam through in San Francisco. But what I find an even bigger turn-on is the fact that you can break a man without even touching him." I dropped my voice an octave and added, "That's fucking hot, lover."

She retracted her fangs and fell silent for a moment as she contemplatively ran her fingers over my biceps before quietly asking, "You don't think I went too far? That what I did was… monstrous?"

I froze again and pulled back, searching her face intently. This is what I'd been afraid of before, that she would beat herself up about it. When I spread my feelers out along the bond though, I realized that she really wasn't, she felt no shame or guilt. There was a thin layer of curiosity and some trepidation, but no guilt. She felt justified and feeling that had my side of the bond overflowing with relief. I brought my hands up to her hair and once again weaved my fingers into her curls, shook my head, and said, "No. Sookie, what _Bill_ did was monstrous. You didn't actually do anything to him besides make him think about what he's done. Like you said before, you just held up a mirror for him, opened his eyes and forced him to take a look at his reflection. You didn't fabricate anything or inflict pain on him, he inflicted that pain himself when he handed over innocents to vampires for personal gain and reveled in their deaths by his maker's side."

She nodded, relieved, and smiled at me while pushing me gratitude and love. I lowered my head, pressed my mouth to hers, and lazily kissed her again. I had enough talk of serious matters and just wanted to make love to my Sookie (she was mine, I could totally say that now) in the waning light.

I gentled the kiss even more, nipped her bottom lip, and then surprised her when I shot off the side of the house in a blur, coming down in the middle of the closest wheat field. I turned back to look up at her where she was still standing on the second floor with her mouth hanging open.

"Sookie!" I shouted at her, lifted my hands up in front of me and beckoned her to me. "Come! Come play with me!"

Amusement flared in the bond and she muttered something about "Crazy Vikings" before literally disappearing. I searched the wheat fields for her with my eyes, and was both delighted and surprised when I felt her run invisible fingers across my chest. I snatched up those hands at vamp speed, not about to let her take off and make me hunt her through endless fields of wheat. Of course, she could've just popped away, but revealed herself instead, laughing her ass off when she came back into view.

I didn't give her a chance to escape and swept her up in another kiss while the wheat swayed around us, tickling our skin as it moved back and forth. I made love to her right there in the middle of it all and we spent the rest of the time we had in this magical oasis savoring each other's bodies. I planned to make enough memories of Sookie's naked body in the sunlight to last me for eternity and keep me warm when I was forced to retreat back into the night. Sookie seemed to be more than okay with that plan and enthusiastically joined in, so we tested out every basic position I could think of.

How flexible was she?

The answer was _extremely_.

We found ourselves back in her bed in a tangled heap when the last of the sunlight began to fade and watched the sun set together. Ironically, I started to feel the sun's pull after it dipped below the horizon and the shadows around us grew, casting the world into darkness. The walls started slowly fading back in and we realized at the same time that "night" had fallen when the automated screens had clicked into place over the windows, blocking out the sunrise. It was actually well into morning by then, apparently time moved slower in our dream world, and the fact that I was still awake alarmed me a little. It was definitely possible her blood would let others day-walk, which was just one more thing we had to keep anybody from ever finding out.

Sookie brought my attention back to her when she lazily stroked my cheek, still looking stoned out of her mind, and placed her lips against mine for a tender caress. I purred and tightened my hold around her, not the least bit surprised when we both fell into our day deaths (or sleep, in Sookie's case) still in each other's arms.

Honestly, I couldn't think of a better way to go.


	36. Chapter 36: Losing Control

**_A/N:_**

 _I know, I know. What happened to getting back on my normal posting schedule, right? Well, I've been having some major medical issues and, unfortunately, heat and humidity make everything worse. As in I can't focus from the pain worse. Keeping to my normal schedule was impossible this time since I happen to live in a place where we get both during the summer, so I've been too exhausted from all the pain to get back on track. Sorry to all you wonderful readers who have been anxious to see what's in store for our vampire lovers. And to all the readers afraid the past chapter was the last one? I promise you will know when the last chapter is. The title will have EPILOGUE in it._

 _If you didn't realize what exactly was happening in the last chapter, Sookie and Eric slipped into a magical dreamland when they exchanged in True Blood. In their version, the shower rained snowflakes instead of water and they discovered a bed in the middle of a snowy winter wonderland when they pulled the shower curtain back. I will not be following the plotline of season 4 like I am with season 3, so my bonding scene happened earlier than it did in the series. And it would've been really boring for me as a writer to just repeat that exact same scene in this story, so I changed it. You like?_

 _Finally, Eric made a liar out of me and the Authority will not be appearing in this chapter. Instead, Eric decided his magical sex marathon wasn't enough and threatened me into writing another lemon. He's growling at me right now for telling you the truth and Sookie's in the corner whispering, "It's true."_

 _This chapter did give me a chance to describe the bond better though, so I let Eric get away with it. Because they could both feel and push emotions to each other with their ties, I wanted to change the bond up a little and explain it a little better in this fic. Eric may come off a little softer in this chapter, but he's finally embracing emotions he kept suppressed for 1000 years, so I think he deserves a little leeway. I promise you will all see badass vampire sheriff Eric again soon._

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I do not own True Blood or SVM. Charlaine Harris, HBO, and Alan Ball do. I'm just borrowing their music and changing up the beat. Trust me, watching the Viking dance would make you salivate._

* * *

For a second, I didn't know where I was when I rose from my day death. I was resting on my side, my arms were still wrapped around Sookie, and feeling the minor warmth emanating from her body brought the events of last night rushing back. I kept my eyes closed and didn't even inhale while I savored the feel of her in my arms, enjoying the closeness of her body and afraid the slightest movement would wake her up. Her back rested against my chest and she naturally curved her body to lie alongside mine, like she was made to specifically fit me in this way. Her wonderfully soft hair tickled my chin and her slightly heated skin felt amazing against my own. It surprised me that she was still in bed, but I couldn't say I was disappointed to find her there. In fact, I'd prefer it if she were right there, snuggled up next to me, when I rose every night. The very idea filled me with pleasure.

Shit. I was so fucked.

Sookie might not be a fan of S and M, but she definitely had me whipped.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the beautiful temptress in my arms. Apparently, Sookie had woken up at some point during the day because she was fully clothed. The fact that I was so thrilled Sookie returned to bed after doing her daylight stuff, so she could be here when I rose, just proved how very whipped I was.

I was less thrilled to see she wasn't naked, but that was a problem I could easily remedy.

Sookie was wearing one of those sundresses I loved so much, one I hadn't seen before. It was a rich brown color that gently flared out at her hips, like most of the dresses I'd seen her wear. This one had gold, off-the-shoulder handkerchief sleeves, leaving her delicious shoulders bare, and matched the slender belt resting on her hips in color. A brown headband pulled her straight, golden locks back from her face.

Gods, I loved it when she dressed like this. It just made me want to tear her clothes off even more.

The way she was still pressed against me, her body slightly turned away from mine, conveniently gave me access to her neck. I planned to take full advantage of that in a minute, but wanted to enjoy this for just a little longer first. I knew it was a rare thing to rise before her. It was even rarer for me to wake up with someone in my arms. With the exception of Pam and Nora, I couldn't remember there ever being another woman I trusted enough to go to rest with, not since before I was turned.

I trailed my eyes over her body and smiled when I realized she must've pulled my arm over her waist when she climbed back into bed earlier. I now understood why she claimed she didn't really die for the day; she was still breathing. I had never met a vampire who could breathe during their day death and I watched her chest gently rise and fall for a moment, fascinated. I dipped into our bond while I watched her breathe and realized Sookie slipped into a state very similar to downtime when she slept, but it felt layers deeper.

Then I thought about what I just did… I dipped into the bond.

 _Bond_.

I formed a first level bond with Sookie last night.

To be honest, I knew I'd have a bond with her one day. I could feel it in my blood the night we met, but I always thought it would be a maker/child bond. That instinct, that magnetic pull to her in my blood, was one of the many reasons why I loathed Compton so much. I could feel my need to connect to her with my blood and he was an annoying obstacle, one I could do nothing about as long as Sookie supported his claim. It pissed me off even more that I could smell _his_ connection to her, his blood running through her veins. Had I known he forced that blood on her and was drugging her with it, Compton would've been tortured before conveniently disappearing a very long time ago.

I could picture it now. The Magister would eventually get word of Bill's demise and come knocking on my door for answers. I'd wear my most innocent yet bored expression while stating, "Compton was an idiot, Magister. How was I supposed to know he'd take me seriously when I joked the Japanese had developed a sunscreen protecting vampires from the sun?"

The funny part? I could see Compton really believing it too.

However, since I didn't know he was drugging her at the time, I didn't torture Compton and had to sit through my own very special brand of torture watching him walk around with Sookie like she was a dog he was training to heel, one that just wouldn't obey. Nobody could suppress the fire in Sookie and I knew then and there Bill Compton's days with Sookie were numbered. I thought he was just prolonging the inevitable anyway, that he was getting in the way of Sookie becoming my progeny.

Instead, it turned out Sookie was calling to my blood in a very different manner, but… for me to bind myself to Sookie in this way? And to, hopefully, create a full bond with her? The most sacred type of bond vampire kind had? Needless to say, the idea never occurred to me. Not until after she was turned and I still felt the furious need to connect with her through my blood. The fact that Godric felt the maker's pull to her made it clear to me that she wasn't meant to be my progeny, but I never once thought the pull I felt meant I was being pulled to develop this type of bond with her. Well, assuming the stubborn woman would let me complete that bond with her. And I hoped she would because I could feel my very blood crying out with the need to complete it. I never thought I would ever bind myself like this to anyone, but Sookie had a way of making me do things I never thought I would do.

As of now, the bond was still just beginning to form and it seemed like both of us had the natural instinct to protect it and make it as strong as possible, like our blood both decided to reinforce our transitioning connection. Even a full night later, I could still feel her blood and mine weaving themselves together and surrounding our connection with our combined blood, and thus the magic we carry inside it, in an attempt to protect it. This was what I felt last night, my blood in the tie folding back in on itself to make it stronger while Sookie's blood laced hers along it, weaving hers into mine, and making the bond even sturdier, like we were forming the links of an iron chain. I originally thought that iron chain was the bond itself, but now I realized those iron links were just _part_ of it, wrapping themselves around the parts of the bond still developing, similar to chainmail. At the center of it all was our emotional connection, the heart of the bond itself.

By exchanging, the size of our original tie had grown, multiplying by a hundred in width. The tie between us had actually been very small originally and most of what we felt came through our blood connections to Godric. Now, because of the size of our connection alone, it could no longer be considered a tie and was definitely a bond. At the core of it all was our original blood connection, now broadcasting clearer emotions with the support of Godric's open connections.

Tucked between our woven protective blood and our original connection, I could feel strands of our blood within the bond sizing each other up, deciding whether or not to take root in each other. When I focused on that section of the bond, I could literally feel the strands dancing closer before playfully darting away, like they were flirting with connecting, before teasingly pulling back. Ironically, it was my blood reaching out to hers and it was Sookie's blood darting to and fro, making my blood give chase.

I rolled my eyes. She was going to make me chase her even at a cellular level.

On the outside, our blood had already woven together, strengthening and protecting our connection, but on the inside? Our blood was still courting each other. More of those strands would connect and tie themselves together with each exchange. Eventually, once we established a full bond, those strands would weave themselves together and the bond would feel like a million blood ties all woven into one. Developing a blood bond was so rare because those who formed one were choosing to connect at our deepest levels. When forming a bond, we connected with each other at our very cores, which is why we found it so sacred. It would take years, possibly decades depending on its strength, for a first level bond to deteriorate and at least a hundred for the second level to dissipate. The third was permanent, eternal.

Was I insane for wanting that?

No, I'd be insane for not wanting it. Insane for not wanting it with _her_.

From experience with the two bonds I already had with Pam and Godric, I knew each strand in our bond, each tie, was an emotion. If I focused on our bond, I could feel anything Pam felt even if she didn't push it to me because those strands lit up. When it came to the average blood tie, I had to use my blood within the person who drank it to sense their emotions and use my tie to radiate them back to me. A blood bond was different than a tie or a maker/child bond though. Sookie and I would literally be connected by each emotion, but it was more than that. When Sookie felt hesitance, I could dig into that strand and find out who that hesitance was directed at. I still would've had to ask her why she was hesitant, but I would've known if her hesitance was directed towards me specifically and I would be able to do that with each of her emotions, as she could with mine.

I didn't know many who formed permanent blood bonds, but the ones I did know told me no other bond could compare to it. They hadn't been pulled to bond though, which was something even they thought to be a myth. From what they told me, apparently pushing and feeling emotions worked the same way, but I would also be able to single out one of those emotional strands and push an emotion straight into it, which would significantly intensify it, like lust. According to the bonded pair I knew, I could literally bring Sookie to her knees in orgasmic bliss anywhere and anytime if I pushed lust specifically into that strand.

Which was a tempting idea…

But that would just earn me a smack on the head and she'd probably rip the bond away in punishment.

If I pushed lust into the actual bond, it would work like it did when I normally pushed her lust, traveling down our connection to Sookie. With one more exchange, even more of those flirty strands would connect and then I'd be even more connected to her. After the third exchange? We would be linked together until the true death. In essence, we would be one.

Vampires had what we called a pledging ceremony, our own version of marriage, but it only lasted 100 years. Bonding was eternal. I wanted that bond with her more than anything, but did she?

Sookie wanted me to call her mine earlier. She wanted _to be mine_. I could even feel how much she wanted it in her blood, but did she want it for eternity?

All of these thoughts ran through my mind while I laid there, my eyes drawn to her rhythmic, soothing breathing. Staring at Sookie's rising and falling chest though just had my lust, among other things, stirring, so I used that convenient access I had to her neck by leaning forward and pressing my lips to her skin. I propped myself up on my elbow while massaging her neck with my lips and could feel her beginning to pull herself out of that incredibly deep downtime as I tasted her, brushing my lips up and down her neck. She opened her eyes slowly with a soft purr, shifted her body minutely, and turned her head to catch my lips with hers. I swept my tongue across hers and deepened the kiss while I shifted my own body to partially cover hers and slid my hand up to her face, stroking my fingertips along her cheek.

When I pulled back, my lips just hovering over her own, she smiled softly, lifted a hand up to rest on the nape of my neck, and whispered, "Hey."

"I like waking up next to you," I admitted, speaking just as softly, and kissed her tenderly again. "But why aren't you up?" I looked at her outfit, brought my eyes back up to hers, and revised my statement, "Up again?"

She ran her fingers through my hair and asked, "The question is, why are _you_ up? You rose about an hour earlier than normal."

I froze and Sookie burst into giggles. I pushed her confusion, she gasped at the clarity of the emotion, and then explained, "It was just your face. I never thought I'd ever see a vampire with a 'deer caught in the headlights look' on his face."

"What?"

"Ya know, when you're drivin' down the road at night and a deer's crossing. He freezes when the head- oh forget it. You drive too fast to ever catch how a deer looks when your headlights hit him," she said, rolling her eyes and giggling again. Something then occurred to her and her face fell. She tentatively asked, a little afraid of the answer, "You don't just run the animals over when they cross your path, do ya?"

I could actually feel her hesitance to ask and hope that I didn't in the bond, which was new. Usually, unless I really dug into her blood for answers, all I would feel was hesitance and hope, which would've really seemed twisted and fucked up considering the question she asked.

For both reasons, I laughed so hard my shoulders shook while shaking my head no. When I finally calmed down, I explained to her that with my enhanced eyesight and developed reflexes, I saw them ahead of time, even when I drove at that speed, and simply drove around them. Then I explained the bond part and her mirth rained down across our bond like a refreshing April shower.

Damn, I was enjoying the hell out of this bond.

"We must speak with Godric about this, min lilla lejoninna. With what you learned from Compton, my early rising could very well be due to the amount of your blood I drank," I said soberly.

Sookie grimaced and, though I could feel her skepticism, suggested, "Or it could be a side effect of exchanging with a fairy? Hybrid fairy? Vampire-fairy hybrid?"

So I _wasn't_ the only one who had no fucking idea what to call her. Oddly, I took comfort in that fact.

I just gave her a look and she sighed while her blood hummed in agreement. She started to sit up and I pushed her back down. My voice came out rough, thrilling her in the bond, when I asked, "Where are you going? You just said I rose an hour earlier than normal, so we have time. And I very clearly remember telling you," I dropped my voice an octave and purred, " _I have fantasies of ripping these dresses off of you_."

And I did, too. Very vivid ones.

I fell face first into Sookie's pillow before I could even drop my fingers to that silky fabric and tear that tantalizing dress from her body. Sookie, having popped herself into the corner of the room by her bathroom, pleaded, "Not this one, Eric. The maenad destroyed most of my clothes and this one's my new favorite. I got it in Dallas."

I rolled onto my side, propped myself up again on my elbow and eyed her with a predatory gleam, calculating my odds of reaching her before she could pop away. Sookie rambled on and on about the dress, trying her best to very deviously distract me by speaking as her fingers worked at the zipper. Her words softly trailed off when her fingers finally latched onto it and she slowly began seductively unzipping it, letting it fall into a puddle at her feet, and revealing some very naughty lingerie she'd been hiding beneath her sundress.

Now _that_ was a distraction that would work on me.

I shot straight up into a sitting position, resting my feet on the floor, while a very primal, animalistic noise broke free from my chest. Her fangs snapped down when she heard it and the room suddenly filled with the scent of her arousal while her lust pooled in the bond, just begging me to go skinny-dipping in it with her. When my fangs didn't immediately follow suit, though they throbbed like a mother fucker, she raised a single eyebrow at me in question. She pushed what felt like a _dare_ to me while competiveness rose in the bond with a hint of a curiosity. Sookie was issuing me a challenge, curious to see if I could keep my fangs from dropping, one the predator inside of me was more than eager to accept, knowing the predator in her would pull out every stop in an attempt to win. She purred when she felt the challenge accepted in my blood.

The predator in Sookie might not think so, but both of us would be winners in this game. Somehow, I had a feeling the fairy in her knew that and was just as excited as I was.

And by winners? I meant we'd be having passionate, primal sex before she even realized there was honestly no way to lose in this game.

The bond positively lit up and danced with a mixture of pure excitement, anticipation, rivalry, amusement, and lust. We both reveled in the clarity, the quality, of all the emotions before Sookie turned her focus back to me with a tilted head and catlike movements. She licked her lips while she prowled towards me, flexing and stretching her muscles with the grace and beauty of a limber feline, and stopped right in front of me. Nothing but pure lust and mischief swirled in the bond as she stepped between the V of my legs. She lazily lifted one well-toned, gorgeously tanned leg up and rested her foot on the bed right between my thighs, bringing my eyes to her sexy-as-hell sheer, black thigh highs, which I had foolishly assumed were simple stockings earlier when she was fully clothed. I was sure my fangs were throbbing harder than the night she tipped me into bloodlust with her natural scent, but I kept them at bay through sheer willpower. This was a challenge I would win.

Yet I wasn't so sure my other throbbing part would last as long as my fangs would.

She unclipped her thigh high from her panties and peeled off the first one slowly, moving at an agonizing pace before carelessly tossing it over her shoulder. Sookie then turned her focus to her other leg, lowering one leg to lift the other to place it in the same cruel spot, unclipped that one from her panties too, and slid the second thigh high down her leg even slower, lingering over her knee, ankles, and toes in what I was sure was an attempt to drive me bat-shit crazy with lust. My hands followed the path her own took as she slid the fabric free, increasing the lust she felt as I did. She smiled wryly at me with her fangs fully extended before adding the last high thigh to her growing pile on the floor.

Solely clothed in a sheer, lacy black bra and matching lacy black boy shorts, Sookie leaned down, brushing her lips over my ear while I trailed my fingers up her silky thighs, and huskily asked, "Isn't it a little more fun sometimes when you _don't_ destroy the clothing?"

My fangs nearly dropped and she knew it.

I attempted a retort, but the words died in my throat, so I just smirked and commented in a voice still way too deep to pass off as unaffected, "Well, that was saucy." I may have growled when Sookie then gave me a view of her delicious backside as she turned to walk away.

A thousand years was a long time to perfect the art of sex and yet, somehow, Sookie could make all those years of experience fly out the window simply by taking off her clothing,

What. The. Fuck?

"I think I'm gonna spend that extra hour we have by takin' a _hot_ , _steamy_ _shower,_ " she purred. A few feet before she reached the door to her bathroom, she flipped her hair, looked over her shoulder at me, and seductively asked, "Coming?"

If she kept talking like a sex kitten, I definitely would be soon. Embarrassingly soon.

Sookie didn't even have a chance to take another step before I swept her up, threw her over my shoulder once again, and continued casually walking to the bathroom.

"Uh, not that I mind the view, in fact I'm pretty sure Michelangelo modeled _David_ 's ass after yours," she began and muttered something about how Michelangelo definitely screwed up the frontal proportions. "But I _can_ walk, ya know."

I pulled the shower curtain back, turned the water on, and closed the curtain again. I did all this with her still slung over my shoulder and added, "If you put on a show like that and expect me not to go all caveman on you, then you seriously need to rethink your tactics."

She giggled and pinched my butt. I stood her on her feet in front of me as something suddenly clicked. I knew she could feel my incredulity through the bond, as well as my "light bulb moment," but by some miracle, I kept a straight face when I accusingly asked, "It was you, wasn't it? You used your light shield that night and pinched my butt."

She giggled while her blood said yes for her, shrugged her shoulders, and explained herself by teasingly stating, "Beautiful butt."

Although I was still a little shocked, yet delighted, by my newest discovery, Sookie quickly snapped me back into focus when she reached for her lingerie. I gently brushed her hands away, leaned in so my lips hovered just over her ear, and purred, "I believe it's my turn to remove your clothing without destroying it."

Sookie graced me with my favorite sound when her breath hitched, and I took my time lazily showing her how I could remove her undergarments with just my teeth. I lingered when I got to her moist panties, dropped my fangs (putting the game on pause by unspoken agreement), and made sure she felt them graze the sensitive skin on either side of her clit as I tugged her lacy boy shorts further down and let them fall the rest of the way to the floor.

She removed her headband and gave me a challenging look when I stood back up. Reluctantly, I retracted my fangs again, shielding just how painfully it hurt to do when they throbbed so badly, and we stepped into the shower. She turned and kissed me, catching me off-guard once more and I tucked my slippery arms around her waist while we kissed.

Drugged by the rhythm of her tongue, I didn't notice when she reached for the shampoo bottle. Nor did I notice her lathering up her hands and massaging her fingers through my hair, but I _definitely_ noticed when she dragged her fingernails across my scalp, something she knew would make my lust flow into the bond like a floodgate had been thrown open. I growled and she just chuckled while lathering her hands up again and unknowingly gave me a merciful chance to regain my control by seductively washing me all over, lingering over places she knew I liked being gently touched when we made love. It felt amazingly good, was erotic as hell, but only made me purr while pleasure lathered up the bond the way she lathered up my skin.

I chuckled when she growled in frustration and pushed me under the shower head to rinse me off. I leaned in and brushed my lips over her ear as I asked, "What's the matter, lover?" She shivered when I nipped her earlobe and added, "Ah, a shame. You might actually lose this one." I then lowered my voice, while I ran my hands along the length of her fidgeting legs, knowing the effect I had on her with just my tone, and purred, "I _know_ I can make yours drop faster than I can your panties."

When I pulled back, something had shifted in her. Sookie looked wilder, more animalistic than before, but not like a vampire whose very body was burning with need, like mine was. I knew for a fact I looked predatory and had only grown more so since this game began, but Sookie didn't. I suddenly realized what I had just done by taunting her when I dipped into the bond and felt the sheer strength of her emotions, the intensity of them, as Sookie panted before me. I'd unleashed the Fae in her. I was now trapped in a shower with a fairy.

Not a situation most vampires would find appealing.

Yes, fairies were delicious, but they could also be vicious as hell. I'd only ever really encountered this side of her once before, when she was trying to protect us, and found myself a little unnerved.

She licked her lips, pushed me further backwards, bent forward and flipped her hair back like one of those girls in a shampoo commercial, which I had to admit was sexy as hell. I had been hard for a while, but grew impossibly harder with just that one move. It was truly miraculous that I was able to keep my fangs at bay and I knew I wouldn't last much longer.

"What's wrong, vampire?" she asked slowly, amusement dancing in her eyes, and her tone had changed. Every word came out rougher, wilder, yet dripped with sex. Her voice alone nearly made me cum. In either an incredibly stupid or amazingly brilliant move, I glanced downward. I immediately brought my eyes back up, a little afraid of what a fairy would do to me in this position, but the damage was done. Sookie's eyes had followed the direction of mine.

She licked her lips again, moaned deliciously, and with a voice that was both alluring and wild, she asked, "Is that the problem, cowboy?" knowing my lust would shoot up with the pet name. "Well, I can fix it for ya," she drawled, trailing a finger across my chest while the bond turned cheeky and mischievous in addition to the never-ending pit of lust the two of us seemed to have going.

Sookie pressed herself deliciously up against me, slipping her feet between mine, and pushed my feet wider apart with her own. She then licked my neck in a move that made me shudder, backed up once again, and dropped to her knees in front of me.

 _Fuck!_

I averted my eyes quickly, staring at the ceiling, because I just knew that not only would my fangs drop if I looked down at her again, but I'd also lose control like a virgin given his first dirty magazine. I fantasized about Sookie on her knees before me many times and with how turned on I currently was, I'd cum faster than a speeding bullet if I actually watched her. I gritted my teeth and locked down every muscle in my body because, by gods, I would _not_ embarrass myself like that. If ever there was a time I needed to control myself, this was the moment.

And then she did the unexpected.

She plunged her fangs into the artery that ran along my inner thigh and pulled, teaching me in the process to never look away again.

My fangs dropped and I came.

Not only that, she had me crying out words of gratitude to my gods in my native tongue, one I had stopped using long ago when the language naturally began altering over time. Then I slammed my fists into the shower walls when she continued to pull, every vein in my body vibrating in ecstasy, and snatched Sookie up before she could make me lose control all over again. I shoved Sookie hard up against the wall while Sookie lifted her legs and wrapped them around me at vamp speed, and entered her in one strong, upward thrust.

Nobody had ever fed from my thigh before. The only other vampires I allowed to feed from me during sex were Nora and Pam, which was a very long time ago. Pam never even tried it and with the way Nora ran hot and cold with me, I never allowed her close to that specific area with her fangs drawn. Sookie was the first and hopefully the only one to ever bite me there. In a way, she had unknowingly marked me as her own by biting the one place no other ever had.

And it unleashed something primal inside of me.

I bit her hard on the shoulder, not to drink from her, but to mark her as mine while she dug her nails into my back, drawing blood as she dragged her nails across my flesh. The playful air in the room suddenly turned darker, rougher. This time there was no tender lovemaking, no slow caresses, and gentle kisses. It was urgent and frenzied. It was violent and animalistic. In other words, it was passionate, primal sex, as I always knew sex with her had the potential to be. Even when she was human, I knew if I ever had the opportunity to fan that flame inside of her, Sookie would burn brighter than an inferno. I got caught up in that blaze, truly losing control for the first time since the period just after I was turned. I didn't know if it happened because I was finally releasing all those suppressed emotions or if I was experiencing the exact reason why I was taught to suppress them to begin with, but I lost it.

I slipped into the deepest state of bloodlust I had ever known and was nothing but animal in that moment. I would've killed anyone if they dared to interrupt us and I would've reveled in the kill, be it an innocent or a member of my own line. My movements became even more feverish, my fangs elongated fully, and my growls gradually became more predatory until I roared wildly while I thrust into her. Yet, ironically, my actual touches were tenderer, my lips on hers became gentler, and the bruising grip I had on her thighs turned feather-light. Even the purely animal part of me knew not to hurt Sookie, never her. Even the darkest part of me would always be gentle with her, because Sookie was mine. I immediately felt the animal within me violently and fiercely object to that, hissing out that she wasn't just mine. Sookie was my mate and my blood hummed in agreement when my thoughts acknowledged it. Greedy for more, my mouth moved to her neck and I grazed her skin with my fangs. Sookie brought me back from the brink, knowing I was already too far gone to handle her potent blood in my current state, and snapped me out of it by pushing me love.

I stilled completely as millions of lips trailed themselves across my body, thousands of hands caressed me from head to toe, and sunlight lit me up from the inside out. The animal inside of me basked in it, like a tiger lazily stretching out on a flat rock to soak up the sunshine, purring as Sookie's love stroked him. Never once pausing in filling our bond with her beautiful love, Sookie reached up and caressed my cheeks with her thumbs while sliding her fingers gently into my hair. Her eyes held a question in them, one reflected in the bond with her concern. I nodded, telling her without words that I was back in control, and kissed her gently, like her lips were the most fragile thing in existence.

I pulled back, breaking that gentle kiss, and weaved the fingers of my right hand into her damp hair while still supporting her weight with my left on her thigh. I caught her eyes with my own in a heated gaze and huskily said, "I don't understand it, Sookie." I knew she felt my genuine confusion in our newly formed bond just as clearly as I could feel her own. With my eyebrows knitted together, I asked her in a low voice, "You with me? I've done many things in a thousand years, and I cannot think of a single one that makes me worthy enough to warrant a gift as beautiful, inside and out, as you."

I caught a blood tear from her with my lips and swallowed it, surprised to taste her disbelief in it. Sookie very forcefully grabbed me by the chin, tilting my head down to make sure I met her eyes as she quietly stated, "I ask the same thing 'bout you, Eric. Why you love me of all people, because I feel like I don't deserve it." When she felt my rising protest in the bond, she mentally smacked it away and sent me the need for trust, "Push your love to me, Eric. Push it and immerse yourself in the bond when you do."

She closed her eyes, gently started rotating her hips, setting a much gentler pace for us, and I could literally feel her sinking into the bond as she moved, letting the emotions carry her away like a leaf caught in a breeze. I pushed her love and did the same, letting the emotions engulf me, literally becoming part of the storm that was my love for her, caught up in the winds of how furiously, feverishly, and desperately I loved her. We both climaxed when the way we both loved each other collided.

When I opened my eyes again, she wiped away her own tear before I could taste it, not wanting me to taste the emotion it held, and softly said, " _That_ is what makes you worthy of bein' mine, Eric. The way you love me literally forces all of the air in my lungs to abandon me in a rush and the sheer strength of it leaves me speechless. I don't care if we ever did somethin' to deserve each other, the beautiful way we love each other is all the proof we need that we _are_ worthy of receivin' love just as beautiful in return."

The bond went through such a furious whirlwind of emotions that I couldn't keep up, which was rare for a thousand year old vampire, but ultimately conviction and faith overtook the others, beating furiously in a sweet tune that matched her emotions. I kissed her again, pushing all the faith I had in _her_ into the bond as I did. When I gently released her lips, I murmured, "Just once, min alskare. I wish you could see yourself as I do. Just once."

I could feel her deflecting, pulling back from me in the bond and tucking herself closer to her core, when she joked, "I have, and most of the time, you picture me naked."

Sookie suddenly shivered in my arms, closed her eyes, and pushed agreement to Godric. She looked back up at me and explained, "We gotta get dressed. Godric called me, so I guess we spent a little too long in the shower." Mirth lit up in the bond as she spoke and I gently set her down. Wishing I could take my time, I cleaned the smell of sex off us both and washed Sookie's hair at vamp speed.

After we dried off, Sookie slipped into another pair of black jeans, some peeptoe shoes with stilettoes, and a silky, dark purple shirt. She strapped her knife sheath to her forearm and slipped on a black cardigan with gathered fabric sewn into the seam at the shoulders. Sookie surprised me when I turned to her dresser looking for the clothes I wore yesterday and found fresh clothing instead. Realizing she popped back to my room to get me clothing, I thumbed through them with a smile. She picked out one of my typical black wifebeaters, a green V-neck, and a blue sweater. I slipped on the green shirt, a pair of boxers, and grabbed a pair of the black jeans she set aside, only to find a pink lycra spandex suit beneath it. My blood cried out "Oh shit!" before I could stifle it and I slowly turned back to look at Sookie, who was just staring at me with a raised eyebrow while the bond went through an uproar of mirth, mischief, and all-around hilarity.

"Pam threw a-"

"You ain't gotta explain it to me," she said in an indulgent tone, my exasperation only increasing her amusement. "You've got your vices," she teased, "and I've got mine."

The suit was forgotten in an instant and I vamped over to her, sliding my arms around her slowly while I leaned in, my mouth hovering over hers, and huskily asked, "And what might those be, lover?"

"I got a thing for Vikings and cowboys, now go get dressed," she ordered, deflecting while blushing in the bond and swatting my butt. "Godric's waiting. And I wanna know if you'd braid my hair again?"

I smiled, finished dressing, and sank my fingers into Sookie's wet locks to braid it. I braided it absentmindedly, thinking about earlier, about how Sookie felt she didn't deserve me and shielded the worry I felt for her while my fingers moved nimbly through her hair. How could _Sookie_ feel she didn't deserve _me_? She was just beginning her life as a vampire and yet she'd never killed on accident or for sport, she worried for and wanted to protect her feeds, and had more control over herself than any other vampire I'd ever met. I could feel the goodness in her, the light inside of her, how beautiful her emotions were, and the combination of being both vampire and fairy truly put her on a level above us all. Even before she was turned, the way she embraced every supernatural she came across with genuine respect, the fierce loyalty she had for her loved ones, and her fiery, yet gentle nature was an incredible sight to behold. Supes were drawn to her like magnets and she embraced them all, giving all of us a small glimpse of sunlight just by being in her presence.

I, on the other hand, was a manipulative, high-handed, bloodthirsty ancient vampire who spent years killing for sport. I didn't kill the innocent, but I killed for sport and I reveled in violence. I enjoyed the high I got from bloodlust and thirsted for a good battle. I killed thousands throughout my years, mainly during the period of time I spent as an enforcer, what humans today would refer to as a mercenary. Unlike Compton, I knew I was vampire and I embraced it fully. And Sookie didn't think she deserved me? She didn't. Sookie deserved better and I decided in that moment I'd strive to be what she deserved. I couldn't change my nature, although I could be more open. But then I realized I already was. Sookie had me laughing in public, letting my bloodline help me carry my grief, and openly showing affection to the ones I cared for. I was already changing and I briefly wondered what I would ultimately become with Sookie in my life.

"Eric?" Sookie called, snapping me out of my internal musings. I met her eyes in the mirror. She wanted to be able to see me braid her hair so she could learn the process herself. Part of me was reluctant to show her because I wanted to be the one who braided it, braiding your woman's hair was a sign of affection in the Viking era. She laughed and promised me I could still braid it when she discerned how I felt about it in the bond and explained she only wanted to know so she could do it for Jessica after Jessica joined the bloodline. "Uh, it's beautiful, but this isn't the same braid," she said with a questioning tone.

I shifted my eyes to her hair and laughed. Her hair was braided in the style of a woman who was being courted. My mother taught me all the braids, although I never had the chance to braid the hair of a girl I was courting when I was younger. I was more interested in sowing my wild oats than seriously courting anyone. I bet my mother and father were currently laughing their asses off about what I just did in Valhalla.

A separate thought process peeled off and analyzed my last thought in the background while I continued talking to Sookie. For a thousand years, I thought I needed vengeance to put my family to rest. Now I was thinking about them laughing at me from inside one of Valhalla's golden halls. Sookie told me when she popped into my room that night that my family was already at rest, that I was just working on putting their memory to rest now. I didn't truly believe her at first, but then she did something to me. She pushed her light into me and closed that aching wound. Being embraced by that healing light had felt like being embraced by family when I returned home from a long voyage.

When she pushed that light into me, it literally felt like the hands of my kin were reaching out to me, touching me in any way they could, even if it they could only reach me with their fingertips and for one fleeting second, I thought I heard their voices telling me in gentle whispers that it was okay to let go, that they had found peace, and it was time to seek my own. I knew Sookie healed something within me that night, but I didn't know if she really had connected me to them in that moment. Kinship was sacred to the Fae and maybe, just maybe, she had.

And looking at Sookie, her hair styled like a Viking maiden being courted, I realized it didn't matter if I truly heard them or not. I was already working on the newest vow I made to my family, finding that peace.

Even though finding peace with Sookie at my side would probably be an oxymoron.

"What's it mean?" she asked, stroking her newest braid with a smile.

"Do you like it?" I countered. She nodded and I could tell she did truly enjoy it through the bond. "Then what's it matter?" I asked, barely containing a grin.

"Eric," she said in an admonishing tone.

"Sookie," I said, imitating her tone as I reached for the handle on the door.

"Wait!" she cried out and I stilled, feeling her alarm. "Only the bedrooms are light-tight. We have to pop down to Godric."

Well, that would've definitely been one way to find out if her blood really worked like vampire sunscreen.

Seeing as how I drank from her hours ago though, it was more likely Sookie would've had herself a southern-styled vampire barbeque instead.

Not the type of meal I was hoping for this evening.


	37. Chapter 37: Reaping the Whirlwind

**_A/N:_**

 _Oh my stars… she posted!_

 _How many of you thought I did exactly what I said I wouldn't and just up and disappeared? Well, SURPRISE! I didn't._

 _I did disappear without a word for over a month though. *Hangs head in shame*_

 _I promise though, it was for two very good reasons. The first was a medical issue. The veins in my legs started swelling again, so I went to a cardiologist. It turns out the valves in my legs stopped working correctly and let me tell you… it freaking hurts like a bitch when your blood moves in both directions inside the same vein. I'm going to have to have a medical procedure to seal the blasted things shut- which I tell you to warn you. It may take a while to get out another post. I just can't focus with it on top of my other pain problems. I do try though._

 _The second reason has to do with a very different type of pain- my grandpa passed away. This chapter is dedicated to him because he always believed in me, confident I'd be a best-selling author one day. When I told him I'd started writing this fanfic, he encouraged me, excited I was writing again even if it was a story based on someone else's. I will always love him for how much faith he had in me. This one's for you, G-pa!_

 _So the good news? This chapter ran away with me and turned into a long-ass one._

 _And I do mean long. Longer than the last one, which, by the way, if some of you are wondering about the pink lycra suit Sookie found, the Viking wore it in SVM when he escorted Sookie to an orgy. Apparently Pam picked it out. I know, whaaat? And they didn't put it in TB? Shame on them._

 _Actually, it's probably the length of two rolled into one. BONUS! Right? Keep an eye out for the POVs, I do go back and forth in this one._

 _Anyway… I had a chapter all outlined, just waiting to be written, and then my muse popped up, snatched away the outline, and ran off with it. I still can't find where that sneaky bitch hid it._

 _I thought the Authority would be making an appearance, but the chapter took an emotional turn and the stoic vampires fled. They may not show up for one or two more chapters. Apparently I'm going to have to bribe them with blood donors to get them to return._

 _Maybe by then my muse will get her ass back here with that outline?_

 _Somehow, I doubt it._

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I do not own TB or SVM. Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO do. I'm just showing them the error of their ways… and the Viking just so happens to prefer me. Boo-yah._

* * *

I turned back to her with a stoic look, but my lips twitched anyways when I felt the bond morph into pure relief. I snatched up my jacket with one hand and held the other out to Sookie. In a blink, we were both below Sookie's house in their new day-rest area. Sookie shot off down a hallway to find Godric and answer his call, something all vampires were compelled to do, though sometimes we had a little leeway depending on the strength of the call. Based on the fact that Sookie didn't even pause to show me around, I could tell she dawdled as long as the strength of his call would allow. Compton hadn't compelled Jessica when he called to her a few nights ago, probably too weak to put enough force behind it after dealing with the wolves. If the strength of a maker's call was gentle, then the maker's progeny could wait years to answer the call before feeling that compulsion. If there was genuine force behind it, the progeny would have no choice but to literally drop whatever they were doing at the moment and search out his or her maker. Only being released would end that ability to be compelled. Godric could've summoned us both, but Sookie was the one he was training. I had already been pushed from the nest, so to speak, and Godric rarely called me anymore.

I took a look around while I waited for the two of them to come back out and found myself pleasantly surprised. Sookie owned the farmhouse but kept the same décor after her grandmother died, so I just assumed she liked the country style, that it suited her tastes.

I really needed to stop assuming things about Sookie, maybe then I wouldn't be surprised so often.

The main room was a contradiction to the style of the rest of the house with its more modern vibe, but I could still feel Sookie in it. The room was light and airy, which was hard to accomplish in a basement. The walls themselves were painted a light coffee color, like a cross between mocha and cream, and the wooden floor differed in shades of light and medium colored boards, set in no particular pattern. She very cleverly incorporated golden accents throughout the room by painting the molding at the base of the walls golden, matching the color of the picture frames on the walls, and used a thin golden rope to line the crevice separating the walls from the ceiling, framing the entire room in a unique way.

Instinct told me Godric chose the furniture. He was always drawn to more earthy tones and the couches' wooden frames may have matched the walls in coloring, but the fabric themselves were a forest green. I knew for a fact Godric built those couches, which were set up perpendicular to each other, as well as the unique coffee table taking center stage in front of them. The coffee table itself actually looked like it was petrified wood, polished and preserved beneath a layer of glass forming the table's actual surface. He held the same love I did for working with wood and I could see his touch in the grain of the furniture, which meant he stained the wood for Sookie to match the paint she'd chosen and created the table himself, probably years before. There was a golden throw pillow tucked into a corner of each couch but the things that really made this room a part of home to Sookie were the, ironically, human touches.

A handmade quilt was folded over the side of one couch and I could tell by the scent it was crafted by her Gran. An antique, crystal vase holding freshly cut roses sat on the middle of the coffee table. An end table was slipped in between the couches, stained to match the color of the tree bark of the coffee table, yet I could tell it wasn't Godric's work, so someone in her ancestry crafted it and a lamp sat on top of it. The original lamp shade was cream colored, but Sookie had found a beautiful mixture of golden and green lace to fashion over it, adding to the beauty of it by letting the cream still peek through. A worn, but intriguing rug woven together with an amazing plethora of varying green hues rested beneath the table and when I looked closer, I could see the figures of real fairies intricately woven into the design. It was done in such a way that only supes would ever really see them, so it was a rare piece created by a Brigant.

The most interesting and amazing thing of all was the corner of the room. A tree had been sculpted and shaped to fit perfectly into the corner, making it appear like the room had been built around it and the rest of the tree trunk would be just beyond the wall. It was made of a mixture of chrome and gold, with branches naturally shaped upward, disappearing into the ceiling. Golden and green sculpted leaves sprung from the lower branches and when I took a closer look, I realized imitation pearls and gemstones were embedded throughout the bark and branches. I smiled when I realized why they were there; she had created fairy lights. Finally, there were the photos. She displayed the ones she loved in golden frames, decorating the walls with the faces that brightened her life in a seemingly random pattern with beautiful green leaves painted between them like they were all caught up in the wind as it flowed throughout the room, like they were once part of the tree itself.

I studied the photos closer, taking in the faces I had come to realize made up Sookie's family; Lafayette, Jason, Tara, even the dog Merlotte, and froze when I came across a familiar scene, realizing it was a security shot from a camera outside Fangtasia. It was a picture of the night she raced Godric to Fangtasia and someone (Pamela came to mind) had printed out a still for Sookie. The camera caught the exact moment after Sookie launched herself into my arms, Godric appearing behind her with a shit-eating grin, and Pam with an actual amused look on her face while the checkered flag she threw was frozen in midair. Fangbangers were crowded all around us, about which I seriously didn't give a shit, but their presences just drew the focus to Sookie in the middle of it all, laughing in my arms. I didn't need to look at each image to know she had more, I could feel it in my bones. Sookie had put her loved ones on these walls and had gone out of her way to find an image of me, images of her bloodline, to add as well. She had added us to her family.

This was what she spent her daylight hours doing, I suddenly realized. She had used her vampire speed to make their day-rest area a home.

She mingled images of those she considered family like Tara and Lafayette, her actual kin like her idiot brother and her Gran, and her vampire kin, her bloodline, randomly throughout the room. Not only was there a clip of the race, but there were also sneaky cell phone pictures taken of me when I wasn't looking, a few Pam must've texted Sookie of her favorites (luckily including the night I met Sookie), photos she took with Jessica before Sookie's turning, and pictures provided by Godric, which I could tell by their positioning in the center that Sookie loved them the most, probably since the most recent had been during WWII.

I hadn't realized she'd managed to scatter my emotions into static all over again until I felt her prodding the bond, snapping me out of my dumbfounded stupor. I made her emotionally blush by drowning our bond in love and a desperate urge to do naughty things to her, ducking when I was suddenly smacked violently on the back of the head, shocked when I realized it was _Godric_ who had done it. I immediately reigned in my emotions so Sookie could focus and sent a sheepish apology to Godric. I knew he needed her undivided attention.

Still, I fucking loved this woman.

 **SPOV**

Oh boy, I was in _trouble_.

I was in trouble on so many different levels it wasn't even funny. Somehow, all in the last few days, I had joined an alliance with a werewolf, entrenched myself in a plan to take down an ancient bloodthirsty vampire king and his army of wolves, hunted down and turned in my former lover for his misuse of the vampire blood, became the sponsor of a baby vamp, joined a secret class of unknown elite vampires, and started a bond with a thousand year old vampire I once thought I hated.

Oh, I forgot about the fact the current queen was out for my blood, literally, and I didn't even want to think about the Fae.

Yet _none_ of these things scared me except _one_ … Eric.

I felt like I was flying down the highway at high speeds and suddenly my brakes had gone out. It was exhilarating and frightening all at once. I was breathless from the love he had for me yet I couldn't find my equilibrium, my center. I needed to slowdown, find my footing, but anytime I looked at that dangerous Viking I found myself willingly stepping into the whirlwind all over again. I couldn't find purchase around him, couldn't grasp onto something solid. Since I couldn't find solid footing, ground I could trust, I did the only thing I could.

I trusted the whirlwind.

And I prayed that when the world stopped spinning, I wouldn't be in trouble _alone_.

But looking at my maker and his very stern face I sensed I was very much in trouble now.

And, unfortunately, I knew nobody else could help me carry this particular blame.

"Sookie," he said stoically and it felt like the very word dropped like a hammer. He sat behind his desk in his newly built office like a judge deliberating my punishment. And, for some weird reason, it felt like he was deciding whether or not to send me to the electric chair.

How odd that it felt like my maker was about to give me the death sentence.

I winced under the weight of his judgment and unhappiness in the bond and bowed my head in submission, looking anywhere and everywhere except his carefully schooled, expressionless face.

I hated that face.

Not _Godric's_ face. His expressionless one. It reminded me too much of how he looked the night I met him, when he sentenced himself to his own death and I'd rarely seen it since the moment I rose.

Fitting now that he wore it when I felt like he was sentencing me to my own death.

I conveniently ignored the fact I was technically already dead.

I eyed the blank white walls, the empty built-in bookshelf that lined the one to the left, the boxes stacked high in the corner, and would've eyed the ceiling if I felt like I could raise my head high enough to stare at it too. Part of me wished I had decorated this room earlier as well, if only to give me more things besides Godric to stare at. It felt wrong to fill this space though. This space was Godric's and I yearned to see him put life into it, to create something that reflected himself- the part of himself that wanted to live.

I had literally decorated the entire level, which was big enough to be an expansive penthouse if it weren't beneath the ground. All four bedrooms, the main room, the bathrooms, and the meeting room housed behind a secret wall with its own little blood nook. I'd done it all today. Of course, I planned everything out when we designed the space back in Texas and the walls, moldings, and more intricate details had been finished by the supernatural construction crew Godric had contracted. At 2,000 years old, he had more than one favor shored up and this particular feat had been a favor from a vampire contractor, Niko. Amazingly, his crew only did the meeting room, under the ruse it was a panic room, and Niko glamoured away their memories of the job afterward before building the rest of our home beneath our home. It was the only way possible to get it all built in under a month.

It was risky using a contractor that couldn't be glamoured, but apparently this one owed Godric his life and Godric, who truly was the best judge of character, felt he could be trusted. However, now that we knew I could glamour vampires, I had a very strong feeling Godric and I would be visiting him just to guarantee our safety.

It saddened me a little to think Niko would forget creating this space. Sworn to secrecy about my turning, Niko sat with me several times and mapped out every detail, with the occasional input from Godric. He was one of the very, very few who knew about me before we met up with Eric and it was only because Godric wanted me to have control over every detail. Niko did it all; the architecture, the construction- he even painted the rooms, sculpted my family tree, and designed the gorgeous leaves. He was a genuine artist and it felt wrong somehow to make him forget the artwork he forged in the building of what was in essence our home.

The only room we left untouched was the library/office Godric insisted on. He hadn't forbidden me to design it. In fact, I think he actually expected me to, but I wanted him to have a space solely his and purposefully left it blank. He didn't get the hint and never gave Niko any directions beyond the architecture of the room, but I think he finally got it now. He literally rose to a fully decorated bedroom and I probably would've felt his shock when he realized this room was left completely blank if I hadn't been so swept up with Eric.

I idly wondered if I was in trouble for that too. If I was, I had an honest and plausible excuse.

I blamed the whirlwind.

When the silence stretched out between us became big enough to fill a canyon, I finally glanced upwards, quickly averting my eyes once again when all I was met with was _that face_. I cringed and meekly said, "I apologize, master. I swear I didn't mean to. No one was harmed- I…" I stumbled over the words and finished in a rush, "did it accidentally. I'd promise not to do it again, but I'm not sure I can control it."

If I had been brave enough to meet his eyes I would've seen the look of confusion briefly flicker on his face, but I caught it in the bond. His confusion spurred my own and I suddenly wondered if I was in trouble for something else entirely.

"Sookie, child," he said, his tone softening, coaxing me to look up and finally meet his gaze, "what did you accidentally do?"

"I accidentally threw Eric into bloodlust?" I said questioningly, as if I suddenly wasn't so sure myself.

Shit. I _was_ in trouble for something else entirely.

Humor briefly flickered in the bond, quickly replaced again by contemplation and judgment before I had the slightest chance to feel any sense of relief.

"You accidentally threw Eric into bloodlust," he repeated, but he said it like he was only just now considering it. Finally, he hummed and agreed, "Yes, you did. The deepest bloodlust he's felt in centuries…" I grimaced, confused when humor briefly lit up once again, amusement now added to it. "How did you manage that?"

This time I blushed and his glee shot through the roof. I glared at him, embarrassed that he was going to make me actually say it, "He… provoked me."

His damn eyebrow shot up and I heatedly argued with it, skating over the fact Godric hadn't actually said anything, "It's not fair to blame me when the fairy comes out, damnit! It's not like I can stuff her glittery ass back in the mason jar when she pops out! How the hell was I supposed to know the fairy in me would unleash the damn feral tiger in him!?"

Apparently that wasn't what Godric was expecting because his eyebrows soared and our bond suddenly summersaulted with surprise, mirth, and amusement. It was enough to bring my anger down a notch and had me tempted to crack a smile until I suddenly felt Eric's hilarity and amusement as well.

 _Fucking vamp hearing_. I should've sound-proofed this room.

Their mirth doubled and I knew without asking that my blood had shouted that thought. I gave them both very firm warning pushes that said I had water balloons full of liquid silver with their names on it, really not surprised when I heard Eric start laughing through the wall in response. Godric sobered pretty quickly though and said, "Sookie, you are not in trouble for Eric's bloodlust. He is responsible for his own actions and has a thousand of years of control _he should have used_." Eric immediately got the point and our bond suddenly turned remorseful with a layer of shame mixed in. I reached out and absorbed it immediately, about to argue in Eric's defense when Godric added, "But I cannot fault him either for the slip. It is difficult learning to embrace emotions after years of suppressing them. Even I slipped into bloodlust when you taught me to feel again. I haven't forgotten and I am still remorseful for that night and grateful for what you taught me."

I felt Eric's shock like a beesting, it literally shot out and stung me through the blood. Yeahhh. Godric in bloodlust was not fun. Trying to corral a two thousand year old vampire out for blood was difficult to say the least. That was the night I first closed down our bond. Unfortunately, Fairy Sookie had instigated that episode too. Godric had definitely evolved in his life, but he hadn't evolved in _all ways_. He tried to force me to shut down, to live in my predatory state, certain total emotional control was the best way to survive, like he taught Eric. Because I could completely level out, he tried accelerating the training a bit and the fairy in me lashed out. I snapped the bond shut, insisting that if vampires were not supposed to feel, then why did our very blood link us emotionally? Why did we feel the emotions of our blood kin at all if we were supposed to be so tightly controlled that we felt nothing? I had a very different theory, that vampires were supposed to immerse ourselves in the emotions we felt, not reject them.

Rejecting those emotions was exactly how monsters were created in the vampire race. Feeling helped us retain a level of our humanity. I challenged Godric and deliberately provoked him into feeling that night, intentionally pushing him. When he slipped, it took drastic measures to bring him back, but I did it by bringing out an emotional response, shaking him free of the bloodlust similar to how I used love to wake Eric up.

It took a wee bit more effort with Godric.

Okay, it took a lot more.

I had to stake myself.

When he felt my physical pain, he snapped back into maker mode and out of predator mode. I tried restoring the bond and prodding his emotions first, but when that still didn't work and I realized he was quickly approaching a populated area, I snapped a branch off the nearest tree and thrust it through my shoulder. The pain was enough of a shock to bring Godric out of it and to my side. He'd changed his philosophy on emotions since then, realizing _concern_ not _control_ was what restored his senses and never again tried to force me to master my emotions, but to manipulate them, to manage them, instead. The key was to allow yourself to feel what you were feeling, but be aware of _what_ you were feeling and not let that emotion solely dictate your actions.

Eric hadn't been taught to do that. Instead, Godric had urged Eric to suppress them for over a thousand years, so I really wasn't surprised that bottled up emotion exploded like a shaken soda pop when I twisted the lid off it. I was oddly proud of Eric's progress though. With Godric, I literally had to confront him about his methods but Eric had been starting to allow himself to feel for months without being pushed. He'd come to the realization suppressing all emotion wasn't the way all on his own. Godric had realized this, just as I had, and hadn't seen the point in informing Eric of something he already knew.

Obviously he should've said something after all though because I was still being stung with Eric's shock. It had to be unnerving to hear his maker had changed one of his fundamental beliefs, had altered how he viewed something for over 2,000 years in a single night. I hesitantly pushed Eric reassurance, a little unsure of how to soothe the shock, but Godric took over and washed their bond with the one emotion that could help, acknowledgment. He acknowledged not just that he had been wrong about emotions, but that he should've shared his own epiphany with Eric sooner. Eric sent back a strong wave of agreement that made my lips twitch and a gentle push of gratitude to me before fading into the background again.

"Sookie," Godric tried again, steeling his face once more, "I didn't call you to me to discuss Eric. We need to discuss Jessica."

I blanked. Jessica? She was fine. I actively kept an eye on her tie at all times and currently she was with Pam, feeling excited and hopeful about joining our bloodline tonight.

Godric looked at me expectantly and I felt a small wave of frustration flare in our bond before it clicked.

Oh. _Jessica._ He meant the ceremony.

"Are you truly serious about becoming her maker? Adopting her into the bloodline?" he asked. Disappointment surged up in the bond and I flinched at the feel of it in my blood. "You told her you were, yet I found out from Pamela you agreed to completing the ceremony _tonight_ just before dawn. Did you not think this was important enough to tell me? Adding her to the bloodline was simply not worth mentioning? An afterthought to you?"

I suddenly felt rooted to the floor, stilling completely in disbelief. Godric doubted my conviction? My commitment to becoming Jess's maker? He doubted my word?

Godric doubted _me_.

I slowly unfroze when that thought hit me, my limbs loosening and relaxing completely as I absorbed the alien feeling, the feeling of being doubted. Never, never once had Godric's faith wavered in my word before or my commitment to my kin. My word was my bond and my kin was my life. I'd already given my word to Jessica, Godric witnessed it. I just sped up the timetable when she begged me to- but giving her that word? It meant we already had a bond, and I would not let Godric sever that.

My emotions darkened, brewing into a wicked storm as his words left me bleeding inside, like he'd taken a whip to me. I was nothing more than a mix of fury at the insinuation I wasn't serious, outraged he thought I would give her my word, give her _hope_ , and not truly mean it. I felt Eric trying desperately and fruitlessly to absorb my wrath and keep it from boiling over. He knew me well enough to brace himself for this storm front the second Godric voiced the thought, yet Godric didn't. It turned out my maker still had some things left to learn about me after all. Using this tactic? It made me wonder if he truly even saw me for who I was.

It was a saddening thought.

Godric hadn't yet felt the extent of my anger and continued blindly walking onto my emotional minefield, "I'm not sure I can give you permission to sponsor and adopt her if you can't even spare the time to inform me of such a monumental decision-"

The lights installed in the ceiling behind me burst in an explosion of sparks and glass before I even realized what was happening. In a split-second everything changed. The air became charged with electricity and my fingers burned like I'd been literally soaking them in embers. The fury I felt intensified in less than a heartbeat, beginning to scorch the bond with my maker while my bond with Eric and ties to my bloodline snapped violently shut. Godric's eyes widened and his face became one of instant unease. He flew to his feet and began flooding the bond with calm, pitifully trying to put out a full-fledged firestorm with a drop of water while the door burst open behind me.

"Sookie," Eric started, alarmed and reached for me. I shrugged his hand away, staring down my maker with a new intensity, one I'd never felt before and couldn't control. My voice came out dark and predatory with a wild edge and another set of lightbulbs shattered when I snapped out, " _Do not interfere, Vampire."_

Eric backed off slowly, staring at me with an expression I couldn't decipher, one I only caught out of the corner of my eye as I watched Godric. It hit me when I saw the same expression on my maker's face- it was the look of an ancient vampire analyzing a threat.

They were right to feel threatened.

"You will not bar me in this, Godric," I said in that uniquely wild and predatory tone. The Fae part of me had overwhelmed everything, no longer regarding Godric as my master. The fairy in me was furious with the idea someone would keep me from my kin, and Jessica was already kin to me. She was more than just kin, she was a mother, a sister, and a daughter all rolled into one. She was willingly going to bind herself to me as my child.

And every supernatural knew you _never_ took a child from a fairy.

"Sookie, as your maker I command you to calm yourself, sit down, and listen," Godric growled and his fangs dropped.

The electricity in the room crackled when the command pulled on my blood. I felt my body heat, flushing me from head to toe, and the burning spread to my palms. My bond with Godric finally snapped closed too and he reared back in surprise. Eric froze, becoming preternaturally still when they both realized I had broken the command. I waited a beat for pain or pressure, _something_ that felt _anything_ like compulsion but it never came. Godric stilled in that same preternatural way Eric did, realizing now how precarious the situation had become.

Because, now, Godric couldn't control me.

"How did you break a command, Sookie?" Eric murmured and I turned my fiery gaze towards him. When he swallowed unnecessarily, a part of my heart ached beneath the fury. I would never hurt Eric and that single gesture cut me deep like a blade of silver. I wouldn't harm Godric either. Neither of them were in true danger and yet they didn't realize it. They didn't _trust_ me enough. They trusted vampire me but not the fairy, not _all_ of me, and that hurt worse than the thought of being dipped in liquid silver from head to toe. The only danger they were in was the danger of seeing a fairy's temper tantrum and a pointless light show.

A tear spilled down my cheek before I could stop it and I didn't need to see the tear to know it wasn't blood, I could tell by the way they gasped. I hadn't bled. A fairy's tears glittered like a diamond, a fact I learned from Godric long ago. I thought over Eric's question and suddenly everything came into focus, bringing me back to the moment I first felt love for him. That night Godric had made a different misstep and I had thought to myself that if Godric didn't change his tune, I would keep him from ever feeling the bond again. My blood hummed in agreement with me at that moment, surprising me but I hadn't analyzed it until this very second. I could see it clearly now. Part of me knew I could keep that bond tucked away to keep my emotion safe. That same part of me knew he could never control me if I felt anything to do with the ones I loved had been threatened by him. I turned my watery gaze back to my maker and whispered, "No vampire commands the Fae."

My tone had changed again, becoming soft and musical instead of predatory, but the notes were low tones of despair, of pain. They both physically started, their fingers twitching with the need to reach out to me but they were either still too hesitant or afraid- I couldn't tell which- to try. I spoke again, my voice holding the same painful chords but also held an underlying steel in it, showing them I would not bend in this, " _Jessica is mine_. She will _always_ be mine, ceremony or no, just as all my kin are and will be," a flicker in Godric's gaze told me he understood I was claiming him as kin too, even in my fairy state, "and _nothin'_ is more important to me. It's true I didn't have the chance to tell you of Jessica's decision, but she's so important that my commitment to a bond with her shouldn't _need_ to be said." The air crackled again and my eyes flashed when I added in a more commanding tone, putting strength and a little bit of that Fae fire into it, " _Never_ question the word of the Fae."

I was very aware Godric had only meant to show me I needed to be committed to Jessica above all things, that I always needed to put my child first. I wasn't blinded by my fury, but in doing so he had challenged my honor, challenged my word. Fairies never broke their word.

Neither did Stackhouses.

When I saw both understanding and acceptance dawn on him, I gathered my spark, pulling the electricity back into me and popped from the room, teleporting for the first time without a mental map in mind, just a powerful ache.

 **EPOV**

I reached out to grab Sookie when I felt the electrical charge in the air suddenly shift, realizing she was going to flee. I threw out a curse in Old Norse when my hands connected with nothing but air. She was already gone and the very warmth and light in the room seemed to disappear with her.

Sookie thought I feared her now. I saw it on her face when the diamond-like tear fell from her eye. She thought I was afraid of her fairy nature and she thought that the second I swallowed. She didn't realize watching her so fired up, watching her challenge Godric and _override his command_ just turned me on. Like she pointed out earlier, her glittery fairy ass just unleashed the damn feral tiger in me.

And I was nearly salivating as I watched her. When she got fired up, it was like she was dangling a sizzling stake in front of that feral tiger and it took _everything_ in me plus help from Godric not to pounce on her and take a bite.

Her very fairy aroma definitely hadn't helped the situation.

Her glittery tears, however, were a completely different matter. And her voice? The despair in it? The memory alone made me shudder in pain.

"What did I just do?" Godric quietly asked himself, collapsing back into his chair. I turned a hard eye on him. Our bond felt oddly numb, yet honestly I was surprised he hadn't shut down on me. After being shut out for so many years, it was almost a foreign experience to feel Godric share this vulnerability with me. "I lost her," he murmured brokenly and a wave of pain crashed into the bond, throwing me.

Letting me experience his pain was new territory completely.

"No, you hurt her," I said bitingly. "But you haven't lost her, master," I added tiredly. He looked up at me, a little startled, and I realized he'd forgotten I was in the room.

"Not this time, Eric," he sighed like a human. "I fear she is truly done with me. I have made many errors with her in the past, but none like this. I am afraid I am out of my depths when it comes to Sookie. In 2,000 years, I have never met a newborn such as she and I find myself at a loss at times on how to be her maker." He sighed again and whispered, "I can't even command her."

I studied him as he sat there, defeated. I suddenly realized why it was Godric and not me who was destined to turn Sookie. I was in love with her and she never would've come to love me in the same way if I were forced to command her. And I would have commanded her often. Godric was different though. He rarely used commands and he no longer thought like the typical vampire, which was what Sookie needed. She needed a maker willing and able to change his views on life, like he had done with emotional control and his view on humanity. Godric had the capacity to reach the other side of her, think creatively, and was willing to try new ways to teach her. He was at a point in his life where he didn't fear change, but longed for it. He was delighted when Sookie constantly surprised him and challenged him. Usually he met those challenges beautifully. Now he had faltered and it was obvious he needed a little help.

I sat down casually, kicked my feet up on his desk, and conversationally asked, "Have you seen the rest of this day-rest area?"

He gently shook his head and absentmindedly stated, "Just this room and the one she designed for me."

"So you haven't seen the main room then, the _family_ room," I added, keeping my tone normal and raised a brow.

He caught the way I said family and finally turned and looked at me. "Family room?" he repeated questioningly and I felt a spark of curiosity ignite in his blood.

I nodded and said, "There's something unique about it. Something you should see." I stood up and started walking towards the open door, "Come, Godric. I really think you should see this."

I didn't look back as I left the room, satisfied when I heard his footsteps behind me. I walked down the hallway and led him to the center of their home, the room Sookie put her very spirit into. I came to a stop just inside it and watched as Godric entered, taking it all in. His shoulders started to relax when he embraced the light-hearted airiness of the space, glancing at the furniture he created for her and running his hands over those same human touches I fondly noticed earlier. Finally, he was drawn to the far corner of the room, just as I was, and stood beneath the branches of the tree with a look of awe. Slowly, he explored the sculpture with his fingers, tracing the grain carved into it and tenderly touching the leaves. He ran an exploratory finger over the pearls and gems, feeling childlike wonder as he murmured, "Fairy lights!"

I stepped closer, coming to his side as he then took in the walls to each side of the tree and the intricately painted leaves interwoven with her simple frames. When he noticed the images, I felt his pleasure and surprise as if it were my own.

"It's her family tree, Godric," I said with a delighted smile of my own. He tore himself away from the images and looked at me, feeling a mixture of understanding and confusion. "Sookie was never claimed by her fairy kin," I pointed out, "and all of her family died with the exception of her brother. A fairy thirsts for family, needs one like we need blood and Sookie found herself without one, so she formed her own."

I turned to the right wall and pointed out the pictures of her deceased family members while I spoke, showing him her gran and her brother's photos placed closest to the tree before I took a step to my right and pointed out the images of the humans she added to her family before she met me. I gestured to the ones of Lafayette and Tara, the next closest images, then the shifter, who she held as kin a step below them. Furthest from the tree were images of a couple people I noticed worked at the bar with her. I dug deep for their names, trying my best to remember who they were from the few times I had been to the bar. I thought they were of a man named Terry and the redheaded woman was Arlene.

"This wall is mainly the human aspect of her family," I said before guiding him back to the tree and began showing him the photos on the left wall. "And this side," I began, pointing at the picture of the race she framed and placed closest to the tree, "is mainly her vampire bloodline." There were images of both sides mixed together on each wall, but most of the supernatural aspect of her family was on the left while the human aspect was on the right.

He followed me as I guided him through the images, feeling an amazing amount of familial love, wonder, warmth, and tenderness.

"Look at the pictures closest to the tree, Godric. The ones in the center. I believe she designed this with the most important people in her life closest to the tree," I theorized contemplatively.

A jolt of shock went through the bond when he realized it was him with me. We were the most important people in her life on this side and she placed WWII pictures of us at the center in a place of honor.

"Where did she get these?" he asked incredulously, turning to me.

Surprised, I asked, "You did not give them to her?" When he shook his head, I chuckled and stated, "Then my guess is she unearthed them when she stayed with you. She wanted to add you to her family tree and needed a picture to do it."

He turned back to the photo and looked at it for a moment before beginning to examine the others.

"Pam takes a position mirroring the place her brother does on the other wall, so my guess is she doesn't view her as a vampire niece, but as a sister. The pictures beneath her own are of Jessica, so she already views her as her child, Godric. When the bond between us was open, I dug in as deeply as possible and realized that Sookie keeps a constant eye on their tie. She is always aware of where Jessica is, how she feels, and unconsciously reacts to her emotions, flooding her with strength, love, support, and so much else without even thinking about it, adjusting the emotions constantly whenever Jessica's emotions shift. "

He digested that piece of knowledge and unnecessarily sighed, "I called into question whether she could put Jessica first and hadn't realized she already does. She's already claimed her as a child of hers and I challenged her without knowing it. I was frustrated she hadn't taken the time to tell me she was accepting Jessica as her child tonight and used the wrong tactic to teach Sookie she needed to always put her child first, but to Sookie the ceremony is simply a formality and Jessica is _already_ her child. And she _did_ tell me, after all. I just wasn't listening well enough." He paused and his voice got quieter, "I wasn't listening to her blood and she was speaking through the blood."

I nodded, pushing him agreement.

He turned back to me and sadly stated, "You know her better than I do, min son."

"No," I said forcefully, "I've known her _longer_ , not better. I have hurt her many times in the past, Godric, and watching you two together has me striving to do better now."

Godric pushed me pride and gratitude but still felt despondent, saying, "That doesn't change what's been done tonight. I've still lost her, Eric."

"No, you haven't," I argued. "When she claimed Jessica earlier she said all of her kin will _always_ be hers. Look at who she holds most dear, who she placed closest to the tree- you and me. We are her family, Godric, and a fairy needs their family to function, just as she needs us now. Possibly more than ever."

I felt an enormous amount of relief when Godric's jaw hardened and the bond filled with understanding, determination, and conviction. He paused for a moment to think, glancing around the room before speaking, "There is much to do tonight. We have been called on by the Authority and there are several things we need to discuss before meeting with them."

I nodded and asked, "Do you know when?"

"Not yet," he replied. "Do you know where Sookie would've gone?"

I paused and turned back to examine the human side of her family tree, instinctively knowing she wouldn't have sought out Pam and Jessica in her fairy state. Finally, my eyes landed on the photos of those closest to the tree and I realized she would've sought council from her other maker, sought acceptance when she felt rejection. She would've sought out her Gran.

"Yes, I think so. I believe she may be in the cemetery, master. She would've sought out the woman who loved her unconditionally," I stated.

His eyes flashed with sorrow, echoed in the bond, and he whispered, "Of course." He then looked back up at me and spoke louder, "I will call Nora while you speak to Sookie. If she is still in her fairy state, my presence will anger her whereas I believe you may be able to soothe her. I need her to be willing to listen so I can make amends before we get to the other matters of the night."

I nodded in agreement and turned to the spiral staircase situated in the opposite corner of the room from the tree, assuming it was the exit and began climbing. When I got to the top, Godric called out a security code to me. I found the keypad and entered the numbers. The trapdoor above me hissed as the security lock disengaged and I pushed it open, coming face to face with a closet.

Sookie's idea no doubt. Clever little fae.

 **SPOV**

I'd never teleported without a location planned out before. I didn't even know I could and the only thing currently on my mind was the deep-rooted sorrow I felt, the ache to be trusted and accepted. Somehow, I wasn't surprised when I ended up at Gran's grave.

After all, she had always trusted me completely, never once did she doubt my word or my loyalty. She accepted every part of me, accepted me as a whole. I wrapped myself up in that acceptance as I fell to my knees in the grass and let my tears quietly flow. A few minutes later, a large arm wrapped itself around me and I leaned into Eric's chest as he sat down next to me, tucking me into him. I wasn't startled by his silent approach, I had sensed his mind moving closer.

"I fear your disappointment more than I fear those microwave fingers," he admitted quietly. I looked up at him, somehow not surprised he knew what I was thinking. Sometimes I wondered who the true telepath was in our pairing. He lifted his hand to my face and brushed away a tear with his thumb, "And I definitely fear these more than your light. They me feel disturbingly… human." He swallowed the glittery tear and though his eyes dilated, he apparently didn't like the emotion in it. "Stop them," he said with a face that looked like he was commanding me yet it came out more like a plea.

"You swallowed," I stated tonelessly, turning back to look at Gran's grave. "You were afraid of me."

He sighed unnecessarily and his breath on my neck sent a shiver down my spine. He fluidly moved himself around so he could wrap both arms around me, stretching his legs out on either side of me before raising his knees, fully trapping me in his presence. I felt him press his lips to my hair before he whispered, "You really should keep the bond open. You lost control of your scent completely when you went all 'rebel fae' on our maker and broke the command. I had to lock down every muscle in my body and when you turned and gave me that look?" A low rumbling started emanating from his chest and my lips involuntarily kicked up. "I had to swallow my own blood when my fangs dropped."

I turned and quirked an eyebrow at him in a _Seriously?_ expression.

"Yes, seriously," Eric chuckled. "Open the bond," he prodded. "I'll prove it."

I shook my head, resisting his request. My insides still felt too raw, too wounded and it was unfair to share that pain.

"Why?" he whispered, running his fingers slowly up and down my arms.

I sighed and reluctantly explained, "It hurts too much. It'll hurt you."

"Let me help. It's what the bond is for, min ӓlskare."

I twisted around with that answer, sliding my arm over his shoulder and doubtfully asked, "That's what it's for?"

He searched my eyes a moment with furrowed brows and nodded slowly. "Did you think it was just so I could feel you?" he asked, looking a little ticked off. I shrugged. I honestly thought it was about deepening how much we felt. "Sookie, I don't need a bond to feel you. I could've just asked you to take more of my blood separately and I would've felt you just as strongly. I want to be connected to you _at all times_. I want to be a part of you and I need you to be part of me," he explained softly but urgently.

Another tear spilled down my cheek and he lowered his head to catch it with his lips, this time purring when he tasted the love in it.

I opened the bond up slowly and he gently eased in, feeling out my emotions. I stared at his face, trying to pick up on his reaction when he came across the raw and bruised emotions inside me. His face hardened and he began pushing me love and total acceptance, using his blood to blanket the storm inside me, gently showering me in it all as he soothed away my rejection, anger, and hurt. When he amped up that love, more tears slipped out and the responding tidal wave of his relief let me know these tears were of blood. I was back to my normal fae-vampire mixture.

The vampire side of me kicked in while he wiped the tears from my face and I licked my lips hungrily when I caught the scent of my earlier tears.

They fucking smelled _delicious._

"Holy shit, how can you just sit there when that scent is around?" I asked, shocked and immediately put a filter on my natural scent. His body relaxed instantly, suddenly making me aware of how tightly wound all of his muscles were, and he started shaking with silent laughter.

"You have no idea how difficult it was not to pounce on you when you challenged Godric and that scent came out," he said, licking his own lips at the memory. I felt the honesty of his words and wasn't sure if I should be happy he wasn't afraid of the fairy in me or disconcerted by how much I could feel he wanted to feast on me. I think both surged up in our bond and he laughed silently again. "Like you said, Sookie, when the fairy pops out the feral tiger breaks free," he said seriously then lightened the mood by growling deeply.

It should've bothered me how deeply sexy I found it.

"Stop," I finally begged. "You're just making me hungry and I haven't fed."

The sound quieted and he tilted his head, gauging my level of thirst. Finally, he tilted his head even more, baring his neck to me and said, "Take some of mine."

"What?" I asked, surprised.

He momentarily straightened up and added, "You are extremely thirsty. My blood won't satisfy you completely but it will help numb the painfulness of the thirst until we get back and find you a drink."

My fangs dropped before I could stop myself, remembering how delicious his blood was. His own dropped in reaction to mine and I giggled. I thought it was hilarious how our fangs seemed to trigger each other's. I could feel his own amusement before a wave of astonishment flared up and he murmured, "You _crave_ my blood."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. Eric happened to have the best blood around, so I just softly admitted, "It tastes like rich white chocolate and rock salt, like these delicious truffles I used to buy whenever I had a chocolate cravin'. It's salty and sweet, kinda like you. You were definitely the salt when I first met you, but you can be sweet when you choose to be." He looked fascinated while I spoke. "Has nobody ever told you how good ya tasted?" I asked, surprised.

"I haven't shared my blood with many, but nobody ever it phrased it like you just did. Lafayette did a happy dance and I'm pretty sure he nearly dry-humped a chair or something, but he didn't say I tasted like that," he said seriously.

I gave him an astonished look as I picked up the image of Lala's blood dance from his mind and then burst into full-bodied laughter. "Oh man," I weezed out between laughs, "I'm gonna keep that memory tucked inside forever."

He smiled and agreed, "Yes, it's a good one, isn't it? I admit, lover, you surround yourself with the most curious people."

I couldn't shield my blood in time to keep him from feeling my agreement and he chuckled. I'd been inside their heads for years, their oddity was part of what drew me to them.

He bared his neck again and said, "Drink. You can have a sip anytime."

I leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his jugular before I swept my tongue over it and gently sank my fangs in. I used my blood to lower his lust levels while I drank, keeping him at his normal apparently Sookie-induced state. He sighed while I pulled, drinking my fill of the rich blood and cradled me closer to him, running his nose along my own jugular. I could sense he wanted to bite and I was nearly tempted to let him, but that would be a second exchange and I already couldn't find my footing around him. When the burning in my throat finally stopped, I reluctantly retracted my fangs, sealing the wound with a swipe of my tongue.

I licked the last of the blood from lips and swallowed as I lifted my head. He had a hungry look of his own on his face and I kissed him. I purposefully nicked my tongue on his fang and treated him to my own blood. He deepened the kiss, determined to collect every drop he could before he gentled it again and pulled back, retracting his fangs.

"You can have a sip anytime too," I offered in a whisper and he placed a much tenderer kiss on my lips while I felt how much pleasure he got from that statement.

"You're going to regret that offer," he said and started to stand up, pulling me to my feet. "I'm going to bite you randomly, often, and at the most inappropriate times," he said and gave me a shit-eating grin.

I bit my lip worriedly because I could tell he wasn't lying.

Shit.

He chuckled, pleased with himself, and asked, "Ready to go back?"

I turned and hesitantly looked towards the farmhouse. After a second, I softly stated, "You may not fear the fairy in me, but Godric does."

"No, he doesn't." I looked back up at him, feeling his confidence. "He fears failing you as a maker. He berates himself when he makes mistakes with you, unsure for the first time in centuries on how to teach a newborn because there is no other like you. Now, he knows he cannot command the fairy in you and it worries him because he isn't Fae, Sookie. He's not sure how to guide that fairy side and even with over 2,000 years of experience, he will never know what it means to be Fae. He erred tonight because he treated you like a vampire, forgetting you are just as much a fairy as you are vampire. He's realized now he has to treat you completely differently than he ever treated me or Nora. It will be a learning experience and challenge for you both."

"But does he think I'll hurt him? When I go all 'rebel fae' on him?" I asked.

"No, Sookie," Eric said gently. "He knows it's in your very nature to protect him, especially in your fairy state. He does not fear you."

He pushed his confidence and conviction to me while I weighed the honesty in his words. Finally, I nodded, pushing him acceptance and hope. He swept me off my feet before I could blink and took off at vamp speed. As the world blurred past me, I suddenly realized I'd somehow stepped right back into the whirlwind.

I found I didn't mind the spinning so much with Eric's arms safely tucked around me.


	38. Chapter 38: Battling Fears

**_A/N:_**

 _Well hellooo, beautiful readers!_

 _I'm so excited. I pretty much got this chapter out on time and it has me doing a victory dance on the inside. Touchdown, TB Viking Addict!_

 _SCORE!_

 _Okay, seriously, I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and condolences. I am extremely grateful to have such wonderful people reading my story and I want you all to know that you are all appreciated. Apparently, I now need two procedures and the first is scheduled for Nov. 11_ _th-_ _just a warning so you guys know I may slow down again this month. You all are so amazing for sticking with this story even when I pop in and out like Fairy Sookie on V._

 _Which reminds me, when did I get so many readers? I think I let out a squeal louder than the little piggy who went to the market when I realized, between the two websites, there are like 700 of you following me. That's a huge change from when I celebrated at 100. Can I just say… THANK YOU?!_

 _I hope you all enjoyed purebred fairy Sookie last chapter. She's a rare treat. She's been itching to pop out for the last few chapters and nearly made an appearance in "My Fairy Nature." If there's a purely vampire side to our Faepire Sookie though, then there must be a purely fairy side as well._

 _I'm all about the balance of nature._

 _This chapter is another long one and a lot happens in it, but I think you'll enjoy it. Let me just say sorry in advance for the ending. Please don't stake me! If you can tell from the title, this chapter is about battling fears. *snickers* So it seemed like a fitting place to end it. I've already started the beginning of the next chapter though, so hopefully I don't leave you hanging from the cliff for very long._

 _Even though it's about fears, it's another one of those chapters where I just cracked myself up. Maybe it's the sugar rush from Halloween or the fact that I haven't slept in a couple nights, but I found it so funny I think I bled a tear…_

 _By the way, I set up an iron trap for my muse, leaving a picture of ASkars in the middle of it and then BAM! Got my outline back._

 _Who's the sneaky bitch now?_

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _True Blood and SVM belong to Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO. I own nothing. I just bonded to the show. You should see the photos from the pledging ceremony…_

* * *

Eric began to slow down as we neared the farmhouse, coming to a stop just as we reached the front door. Unable to open it himself, he reluctantly set me on my feet, his lips twitching when I flushed him with amusement. I stood still for a second, desperately trying to find my equilibrium as the world came back into focus around me, and glared back at up at Eric when he chuckled. He shrugged and motioned towards the door, urging me to get on with it. I rolled my eyes and twisted the brass knocker on it, revealing a fingerprint scanner hidden beneath it. There was also a hidden keypad built into the frame of the door just in case we ever needed to let someone in, like Alcide or Jason, but didn't have their fingerprints in the system yet. That way we could just give them a security code that would temporarily override it.

While I scanned my thumb, I turned back to Eric and asked, "Why didn't we just pop?"

"I thought it'd be better if the wind took care of any lingering scent from those tears," he said with another shrug. He then eyed me while the lock disengaged and the door popped open with a hiss, adding, "I guess flying would've worked too."

I could feel Eric gauging my reaction when he spoke, wondering how I felt about flying. I tried to tamp down on the excitement that flooded my system but knew I failed miserably when he smirked at me. He chuckled and pushed me forward, bringing my attention back to the door. Once we were inside, he headed for the closet, doing an awkward turn that made me giggle when I took off towards the kitchen instead. He pushed me exasperation, making me laugh harder, and followed me into the room.

"I need blood," I reminded him. He nodded and made himself at home by leaning against the doorway, watching as I pulled a couple bags out of the fridge and popped them in the microwave. "There's a blood nook in the hidden meetin' room downstairs, but since we're already up here…" I shrugged and pulled three glasses down from the cupboard.

"I don't need any," he stated, surprising us both. I turned, giving him a weird look as the microwave dinged.

"But I drank from you," I pointed out, utterly confused. He was confused himself.

 _What the hell?_

"Twice," I added with a blush, remembering what happened in the shower. He chuckled with a cocky grin on his face, pushing me lust and mirth. I smacked him on the back of the head with my blood and, thankfully, he stopped before my fangs dropped.

I gave him an expectant look while I pulled out the blood bags and began pouring them into two cups. Finally, he stated, "I'm not thirsty. I feel like I've had enough blood to last me for days."

I thought back to the last time Eric fed and realized it was when he fed from me during the exchange. Slowly, a possibility began to occur to me and I whispered, "You don't think…"

"What?" he asked, sending me curiosity. I emptied the rest of the warm blood into the cups before turning back to him, giving him my undivided attention.

"That it's the fairy blood? That my spark doesn't just filter the taste, but makes it… nutritional again?" I asked, feeling a little trepidation. I wasn't sure if it would be a good thing or a bad thing if my spark did. On one hand, I would be able to give my blood to the vampires of my line if they were ever injured and human blood wasn't available to us. On the other hand, it might make me more likely to be kidnapped for my blood if someone found out they could literally feed from me.

His emotions suddenly scattered and I was greeted with nothing but static for a full minute while he thought. The bond then turned reflective and he shot forward, snatched up the glasses, and started walking towards the closet again as he said, "We need to speak with Godric about this."

What didn't we need to speak with Godric about?

I tossed the empty blood bags in the trash and vamped after him, beating him to the closet. Inside, I pushed against a hidden panel on the wall. It made a clicking sound as it rose beneath my hand, revealing a hand scanner. I slid the panel to the side and scanned my palm before sliding the panel back over it and pressing it back into place again. The security trapdoor hissed and clicked as it disengaged. I reached down, grabbed the handle that, oddly enough, was disguised as a high heel, and pulled the door open. Eric began walking down the staircase while I followed, pulling the door above us shut once we were safely inside.

When the scent of Godric's blood hit my nose, I froze, scanning the room for signs of a struggle. I relaxed after I discerned Godric was fine, sitting with his back to us on one of the couches. My heart ached once I realized if he wasn't injured, he must've bled tears.

I never wanted to be the cause of tears unless they were tears of joy.

Eric glanced at me, feeling my alarm, relief, and heartache, in that order, before worriedly looking back to Godric as he hit the last step. We both walked over to him warily, coming to a stop next to the couch.

Godric was sitting tiredly, as if the weight of the world suddenly rested on shoulders, with one of the golden framed photos from the wall in his hands. He didn't look up as we approached, keeping his eyes glued to the photo of the race we ran and his face did, indeed, have a smear of red beneath an eye. I carefully took the blood from Eric and sat down next to Godric, placing one on the beautiful coffee table in front of him before lifting my own cup to my mouth and drinking deeply. Eric took a seat on the other couch and spread out, fully relaxing into it and somehow managing to make the three-seater look like it was made for only one.

 _Big-assed Viking._

But, _man_ , what a gorgeous ass it was.

"So I haven't lost you?" Godric asked softly, still looking at the photo, running a finger over it as he asked.

I stilled when he spoke and slowly lowered the cup, placing it on the table before I turned to him. I pulled the picture out of his hand, sticking it on the table too, and laced my own with his as I gently opened up the bond. His relief began to flood my system, quickly followed by the immense amount of remorse and sorrow he felt. I calmed the storm raging inside of him by pushing him love, collecting his tear and popping it into my mouth when it trickled out. After a moment of searching his blood gently for fear, I braced myself.

He _did_ feel fear.

My heart ached again and I suddenly had the urge to cry. I knew it, Godric was afraid of the fairy in me. Eric reinforced me with strength as I dug into it, worried about what else I would find as I burrowed deeper. Then I nearly toppled over with my own relief and surprise when I realized the only fear he felt was _the fear of losing me._

"You will never lose me, Godric," I said softly. He finally chanced a look at me, turning his head towards me to study my face. "I'm a part of you," I explained, squeezing his hand gently, "and you will always be a part of me. Figuratively and literally. Even if I meet the true death one day," I paused to push him comfort, support, and reassurance when he blanched internally, "my blood runs through your veins. You will always be able to seek it out. And my spirit? It will always be among my bloodline. I'd follow you guys _everywhere_. That's the problem. My word is my bond and my kin are _my life_. I need you to acknowledge that, because I can't live that life if you try to keep me from my kin."

He sighed slowly as understanding flitted across the bond and said, "I do... I know that, Sookie. I know that your kin are your life. They're your very core. I just hadn't realized you'd already accepted her as kin… I knew you were planning to, but vampires do not normally consider others as part of their bloodline until that prospective progeny actually joins it. Sometimes I forget that you aren't the normal vampire. Or, rather, that you aren't _just_ vampire." I gave him a sad smile as a tear spilled over. He caught it with vampire reflexes, relieved to see it was blood, and swallowed it before adding, "I sincerely wish I had taken the time to see this room before I called you to me." I gave him a confused look and he smiled. "Your very soul is on these walls, Sookie. Everyone who is important to you, who you hold closest, is on these walls. If I had just taken a look, I would've realized you already consider Jess to be your child, that the ceremony is just a formality to you."

I looked up and eyed my family tree, realizing he was right. I had subconsciously organized the photos to reflect everything I lived for, _everyone_ I lived for. I quickly looked back to Godric and admitted, "I did plan on tellin' you Jess asked if we could do the ceremony 'as soon as possible.' I was gonna tell you tonight, but I didn't wanna distract you from the upcomin' meetin' with the Authority. And I know you just meant to show me earlier that I needed to put my child first, but-"

"You already do," he surmised for me.

I nodded and explained, "Just because I would've waited to tell you didn't mean I wasn't puttin' her first. It's in her best interest if we're all focused for that meeting. One mistake and her whole future bloodline could just be," I snapped my fingers, "wiped out. So I wanted to make sure everyone was focused and elected to wait on tellin' you. Now, in hindsight, I realize I shouldn't have told Pam if I had planned to wait to tell you, but Pam was her sponsor. She had to know she wasn't gonna be her sponsor anymore."

I let that sink in, relieved to feel understanding dawn on him. He squeezed my hand gently and said, "That makes sense. It never even occurred to me, but I should've realized there was a reason why you hadn't told me yet." He paused a second, then whispered, "I have made so many, many mistakes as your maker, Sookie, but this was the biggest. I didn't mean to challenge your word or your commitment to your kin. I was frustrated you hadn't told me and wanted to make sure you were ready, that you would put your progeny first. In doing so, I'm afraid I didn't put _you_ first, and I'm sorry, so very sorry, for the mistakes I made with you tonight."

I sighed unnecessarily and asked, "Do you think maybe… maybe when it comes to family matters it'd be better if you tried to address them as my brother instead of my father?"

If Godric hadn't dressed me down like a father scolding his daughter, I would've reacted differently. Threatening to take Jess away from me in punishment because he thought I wasn't taking the situation seriously enough was what made me snap. It was the move of a typical father, whereas a brother might've asked me if I was ready point-blank. I would've preferred the second tactic to the first.

He gave it a moment of thought and the bond filled with resolution. "I think that would work. I'm a little too set in my ways after 2,000 years, so you may have to remind me occasionally, but I think maybe that would be a better approach to 'family matters,'" he agreed. After a moment of silence, he added, "Besides, I'm not sure if I can command you again anyway."

 _He didn't think he could command_ _m_ e? HA! I wished. Before tonight, I'd _never_ been able to break a command before. Then again, I'd also never felt Godric was a direct threat to someone I loved before either.

Maybe that was the key?

"I have a theory 'bout that," I responded, "I think you _can_ command me again. I can't break all of your commands, Godric. But when I feel you've endangered me or my kin in some way? I think that's when I'm able to smack them down. Earlier, I felt Jessica's future was bein' threatened and the fairy in me sprang out. In that moment, not a single part of me was vampire, not one iota, and that's why you couldn't command me."

Surprise suddenly enveloped our bond and he asked, "So even though my command was just to sit and listen, you broke it because you felt I had endangered Jessica somehow?" I nodded and he pressed, "But you can't break the average command?" I shook my head, limbering up when his responding tidal wave of relief sank into me like a dozen valiums.

After a moment of contemplation, I asked, "Do you wanna try it? Command me to do somethin' and I'll try to fight it."

"Sookie," he began and I braced myself, filling myself up with determination and the will to fight, "I command you to tell me where you got the WWII photos."

"I stole them from you," I replied instantly and slapped a hand over my mouth. Eric and Godric looked at each other, surprised, and then burst into laughter. Amusement and mirth fizzled in my veins and I finally cracked a smile myself as I dropped my hand, glad to see Godric laughing again.

And more than just a little relieved I wasn't in trouble for stealing from him.

Honestly, I'd been in trouble enough for one night.

"Godric," Eric said once the laughter died off, grabbing his attention, "try commanding her to hurt me."

I panicked the second the words left his mouth. If I was wrong about this theory, I could seriously wound Eric and he was the one person in my life I _never_ wanted to hurt, intentionally or not. I didn't have the chance to voice my objection though before Godric ordered, "As your maker, I command you to stab Eric."

My eyes widened in alarm, disbelief, and fury. How could Godric risk Eric's life like that? On some half-baked theory? How could he put the man I love at risk of being stabbed _by my own hand_?

I could feel the command weighing on me, making me twitch with the need to comply before my body suddenly heated, flushing my veins with what felt like liquid fire and burning as if my blood itself had somehow ignited. The weight of the command slowly began to evaporate, like water when it was exposed to a flame, transforming into steam as the heat of my fury destroyed it. Once that weight was gone, I realized Eric and Godric had been right to test me. We needed to know which commands I would follow and which commands would trigger a Fae response. That acknowledgment helped me let go of some of my fury. I focused on that rage, trying my hardest to make it evaporate like the command had, thankful when Eric and Godric stepped in and did their best to drain me of the poisonous emotion, filling me to the brim with love, pride, tranquility, and reassurance instead.

I had never been more thankful for being different in my entire existence.

"Please, please, _never_ do somethin' like that again," I weakly pleaded.

Godric nodded, tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear, "I will never command you to hurt your kin like that again. We had to test it. Now that we know, I will never intentionally endanger a member of your family with a command."

I exhaled slowly as the last bit of rage drained away, replaced by relief and gratitude. Now that we had talked everything through and I knew the fairy in me wouldn't be making another appearance, I felt better about reconnecting with everyone and slowly began opening up my remaining ties.

I flinched, unexpectedly smacked in the face with Jessica's full-fledged panic, and jumped to my feet. Startled, Godric and Eric mimicked me, standing up as well and flooding me with alarm.

"Jessica," I whispered in explanation and began patting my pockets, searching for my phone, only to realize I left it upstairs. I turned to Eric, held out my hand, and demanded, "Phone. Mine's upstairs. Phone, _now_."

Eric looked at me oddly as he pulled his cell out, handing it to me, and I rolled my eyes when I realized why. My order had turned him on.

It was good to know what would fire him up, but now was _so_ _not_ the time.

I scrolled through his phone, freaking out when it dawned on me that he didn't have her number. They both embraced the bonds with strength and reassurance while Eric suggested, "Number one. It's Pam."

I nodded, pressing the number, and tugged on a flustered and frustrated Pam. She immediately tugged back, pushing me gratitude as she answered, "Well, fuck a zombie. Where the hell have you been, Sookie? I can't get her to calm down! She's-"

Her voice was abruptly cut off and I had to suppress a smile when I realized Jess had snatched the cell away from her. "Sookie?" she asked, desperation lacing her tone.

"Jess, what's wrong?"

"I couldn't feel you, Sookie. I've felt you from the moment you first gave me blood, then your tie suddenly turned dark and burned at the same time, and then you were _just_ _gone_! GONE!" she said in a frenzied rush.

All three of us were suddenly drowning in guilt. I looked up at Godric and Eric, tempted to laugh when they hurriedly looked away, avoiding my gaze and feeling very much at fault for Jessica's panic.

"Jess-"

"I tried calling to my blood and nothing lit up, like you disappeared right off the face of the earth. Then I tried your cell and it went straight to voicemail. Pam wouldn't let me leave so I could go to your house either and I didn't know what to do! You disappeared!" Her strangled voice then got quieter, like she was just barely breathing out the words, when she murmured, " _Just like Bill_."

Godric jerked and Eric froze, their guilt consuming them as sorrow and remorse joined it.

"Jess," I tried again, pushing her strength, tranquility, and regret. When she remained silent, I pushed her a continuous stream of love, finally speaking once I heard her gently purr, "I am so sorry, Jess. I left my cell upstairs and didn't realize you were tryin' to call me. That burnin' you felt? It was fury. I was angry, real angry, and I shut down all of my connections to protect you all, to shield you from it. My emotions… Jess, they can get too intense and burn the people I'm connected to. I _have_ to shut myself off from everyone when they get like that so I don't seriously hurt someone."

The purr died and I felt Jess searching my blood, weighing the honesty of my words. I opened our connection up to its full width, helping her find the truth in it. When she finally felt satisfied and pulled back, she disbelievingly asked, " _That_ was _fury_?"

Eric snickered, so I felt completely justified in smacking him again. The snickers stopped and he rubbed his head with a pained expression on his face. Apparently I smacked him just a little too hard.

 _Oops._ My bad.

Godric chuckled at him, quickly quieting when I turned my warning gaze on him, making my bond with Eric go into an uproar of glee, mirth, and hilarity over the fact that one look from me had Godric shutting up. Godric pulled one of my moves, giving Eric a violent push that told him to go gargle with holy water. Eric barely suppressed another snicker, aware I'd probably smack him even harder if he dared laugh again while I was still on the phone with a distraught Jessica.

I rolled my eyes at their antics and answered Jess, "Yeah, it was. I'd never just disappear like Bill did, Jess. Not when I know how much it would hurt you. And you can bet your ass that I would never just up and leave you all alone without so much as a word. Remember what I said before? You need to trust that I'm doin' it for your protection? Well, now, you need to trust that if our tie burns in the future before it suddenly cuts off like that, then I'm tryin' to protect you. I wanna keep you safe and, unfortunately, that means that sometimes I need to protect you from myself."

I could feel her frustration surge in the tie and I winced at the strength of it. She was getting tired of the "I'm trying to protect you" answer and I could literally feel how grating that response was to her through our connection.

"Jess, listen," I sighed. "There are things 'bout me you don't know yet, things I can't tell you until you become my progeny. And it has to be this way because there are people out there who would literally try to hurt you if they thought you knew somethin' about me that they don't. They would force you to betray me. After you become my progeny, they won't be able to do that. Do you understand?" I asked.

Concern, trepidation, and worry slowly oozed its way across our tie, working its way into my blood as she whispered, "Is Bill one of them?"

I chanced a look at Godric, who nodded, so I reluctantly replied, keeping my voice just as quiet as hers, "Yes, Jess. He's one. So is the person he worked for, but there are more." I then flooded her with confidence and conviction, my voice gaining in strength as I added, "I give you my word that you will never regret joinin' this bloodline. However, I _can't_ give you my word that doin' so means you will always be safe… but I do believe you would be safer _with_ _us_ than _alone_ , by yourself."

My mouth ran dry as I suddenly realized what I had to do. I had to give her the choice. She needed to be sure, to be confident that she was making the right decision. If she wasn't? Her trust and faith in me would continue to waver every time we had a small hiccup. I swallowed unnecessarily as I came to a decision to give her an out, to give her a way to back down from the choice she made last night.

I kept my voice even, controlled, as I said, "Ultimately, you have to make a choice. You have to decide which is better for you- takin' a risk, not knowing everything, and gain a bloodline, gain a family? Or riskin' nothin' and gaining nothing, endin' up completely alone and at the mercy of the world around you. Part of that risk is trustin' me until I get the chance to explain everythin' to you, _after_ you rise as my progeny." I paused, letting her absorb that for a moment before asking, "Are you willing to take that risk?"

Pride swallowed me up from three sides as Pam, Eric, and Godric registered what I had just done. I wanted Jessica to be mine, to be my progeny, and she agreed last night. She was showing reluctance now and instead of playing it safe, forcing her to keep her word, I had just given her a chance to gracefully bow out. I loved Jessica, which was why I had to do the hardest thing a person can when they loved someone, I had to be willing to let her go.

Jessica was turned against her will. She had been kidnapped, killed, and resurrected _against her will_. She was finally free of the man who had turned her and who had retained the ability to keep making her do things against her will. Abruptly, that same man had released her, freeing her from that inability to make her own choices. Afraid of being alone, she had rushed into agreeing to bind herself to me. Now she had spent a night knowing what it was like to be without a maker, to be without someone who could impose their will on her. If she decided being free and completely independent was worth more to her than the support, structure, and _love_ of a family, then she wouldn't be the right progeny for me anyway. My family was my life, was more important to me than anything else in the world. Jessica had to decide if family was important enough to her to sacrifice this newfound freedom. She had to decide if she was willing to live under someone else's command and _trust_ that it would be okay, trust that her maker would take care of her.

She had to make the choice. And she had to make it _by_ _herself_.

Indecision burned across our connection as she weighed her options, drifting back and forth between the two I presented her with. After a moment of bouncing around like a basketball, she finally asked, "Can I ask you a question first, Sookie?"

"Of course," I replied evenly, not letting my nerves leak into my voice. She zeroed in on those nerves in the tie, analyzing my reaction and delving into how I felt about the chance I was taking, the risk that she would walk away from our bloodline, that she would walk away from _me_.

"Do you actually _want_ me to be your progeny?" she whispered.

"Absolutely," I replied immediately as the tie between us became unbelievably tender, though I hadn't consciously meant to send her that tenderness. I then flooded her with love, affection, and the need I had inside of me to have her as my progeny. She purred while I elaborated, "Jessica Hamby, I _want_ you to be my progeny. I _want_ you to join me at my side as I walk through eternity. I _want_ to be your mother, your sister, and your daughter. From the night I met you, I have felt an urge to take care of you, felt pulled to make sure you would always be all right. I want you to be a part of my bloodline, to be a part of my family. I want you to be a part of my life, always and forever. You are _wanted_. Is that clear?"

I hadn't realized that this was the source of her indecision and I wanted to be crystal clear that I was not like Bill, not like her father, and not like Eric the first time she was dropped off on his doorstep. Every authority figure in her life had ultimately rejected her and she was afraid that I asked her to make this choice because _I_ was the one who didn't want _her_. That wasn't the case and I was not about to let her make such a monumental decision without knowing that someone in the world did actually _want_ her.

When I pushed her my overwhelming confidence and conviction, her wavering ceased. An iron will consisting of pure determination rose from our connection, briefly astonishing me, as she smoothly said, "Well in that case, I accept you as my maker."

Godric and Eric finally laughed, unable to keep it bottled up any longer. Relief surged into me from three sides and I nearly collapsed under it, feeling deliciously relaxed. I smiled and said, "Then give me one hour to talk through some things with Eric and my maker, then get your ass to Merlotte's and we'll celebrate with a disgustin' True Blood, 'mkay?"

"Okay. Bye, Sook," she said and we both hung up.

"Mind if I drink this, Godric?" I asked as I picked up his untouched glass of blood and drained it with one gulp before he could answer.

He looked at me with a frown on his face that clearly said, "What the _fuck_?" and I burst into giggles. He rolled his eyes at me and started walking down the hallway, heading towards the blood nook. Eric and I followed him, pushing each other amusement, and came to a stop at the wall on the far end. He reached up, wrapping his hand around a light fixture on the wall to his left and yanked it down. The wall in front of us then slid open, revealing a conference room where we planned to hold any meetings. The lights automatically turned on at sunset every day, so it was already lit as we filed in.

On one end of the room was the nook we set up, containing a refrigerator full of donor blood and True Blood, a counter with a sink installed, and a microwave. A large conference table was set up in the middle of the room with cushy, leather chairs and a console that controlled the Smartboard on the wall. Opposite the wall with the Smartboard was a huge flatscreen TV showing surveillance video from the cameras now set up around the property, giving us 10 different angles. Finally, a ladder was built into the wall on the far side, opposite the blood nook.

"A second exit?" Eric asked.

I nodded and explained, "The underground level is built perpendicular to the rest of the house, so the ladder leads us up into the shed out back. Godric thought it best if we always had a secondary exit since there's a risk I could be… hunted one day. The walls all have a mixture of silver and iron in them. The only way in for others would be the closet entrance. We can lock ourselves in here if that happens and flee through the shed if necessary."

Obviously, there was a second layer of wood on the inside or we all would've burned ourselves the second we touched a wall.

"Sookie, are you affected by iron?" Eric asked, turning to give me a curious look. I shook my head and he visibly relaxed, feeling grateful and relieved with that answer.

"I was a fairy hybrid when I was alive. Iron and lemon didn't affect me and still don't. I guess bein' part human comes in handy, even if I no longer am one. My spark is as strong as a purebred fairy's, but ya can't erase genetics," I said with a smile.

He chuckled and rolled a chair out to sit down as Godric popped some blood into the microwave. I made myself at home in his lap, feeling his urge to pull me into it anyway, and slipped my arm over his shoulders. My lips kicked upward when I felt how much pleasure he got out of the fact he hadn't had to pull me down to sit with him.

Didn't he know I was a cuddlebunny?

"That ladder is why I didn't see the family room before now, even though it hadn't yet been decorated," Godric admitted. "The first time we came down here, we used the ladder. Sookie popped us down after that, and I used it again last night." He poured his blood bags into the glasses I brought down earlier and handed me one as he pulled out another chair and sat down. When he felt my corresponding surprise, he quickly explained, "I can feel your hunger, child, and I do not know if we'll be able to go hunting tonight."

I nodded and quickly asked, "Do I need to call Jess back and tell her she needs to stay at Fangtasia? I called the store durin' the daytime while we were in Jackson and had the furniture we ordered delivered to Jason. He held onto it for me and when I picked it up earlier today, he asked if we could meet him at Merlotte's tonight. He'll be there until closing, so I was hopin' we could stop by for a True Blood."

I downed the glass while waiting for his answer and stuck it on the table, licking my lips clean of blood with a small moan. He shook his head slowly, digesting that piece of information as he took a drink, and finally commented, "I called Nora to ask what time the Authority will arrive. She texted me back that a representative is scheduled to meet with us at midnight, so I believe we will have time for a True Blood after all."

I smiled widely, excited to see the other half of my tree when I suddenly registered Eric's incredulity in the bond. I turned to look at him in question. His gaze was trained on Godric and he filled both of his bonds with us with disbelief as he slowly asked, "You reached out to her for the first time in decades and she responded with a _text?_ "

Godric looked between the two of us pointedly and Eric's nerves suddenly soared. Confused, I peeked into their minds, quickly pulling back out when I realized what the problem was. I turned back to look at an uneasy Eric, smacking the back of his head hard with my blood while slapping his chest with my actual hand, biting out, " _You slept with Nora, Eric?!"_

Godric's glee shot through the roof as Eric's fangs dropped, making mine drop, and I growled warningly at Eric, making him think twice before he said something stupid. He looked down at my hand nervously and I followed his gaze, realizing my hand had lit up and was crackling with electricity. I closed my eyes, frustrated, and focused on pulling that energy back into my spark, thankful when Godric helped me by decreasing my anger. When I opened my eyes again, Eric was avoiding my glare and slowly retracted his fangs.

Still too pissed to retract my own, I snapped out, "Well, now you've slept with both your blood sisters! That was _not_ what I meant when I told you to 'Keep it in the family,' Eric!"

Godric's glee erupted all over again, trying his damndest to tamp down on it when I shoved some of my fury his way, while Eric snapped back, "It was years before I met you, Sookie!" He paused a second, apparently counting the number of years it had been, and contemplatively remarked, "Actually, the last time was years before you were born."

I growled again, making him shiver, and tucked my head into the crook of his neck as I tried to calm down. He started stroking my arm tenderly, like petting me would suddenly make the lioness in me put her claws away, freezing when he felt my exasperation mount and decided to wait until I calmed myself before touching me instead. That alone made me giggle, rapidly decreasing my anger. I finally retracted my fangs and lifted my head again, shaking it when his lips twitched.

"Ya know, they have words for guys like you," I said.

He gave me a curious look and retorted, "Charming?"

I shook my head.

"Handsome?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Incredibly sexy?"

I leaned in closer, enjoying the way he shivered when my breath hit his ear, and ran the fingers of my right hand up his neck to his cheek, stroking him and eliciting a soft purr. "Man-whore," I whispered and patted his cheek mockingly before pulling back.

Eric fell silent, chewing on that for a moment before repeating, "Man-whore. That's a new one." He looked up questioningly at a very amused Godric, who just shrugged in reply. "Are you sure that's a real term, Sookie? I've never heard the vermin use it."

I snorted before I could stop myself and Godric started shaking with silent laughter. I ignored my laughing maker and explained, "Of course you haven't. No fangbanger is gonna insult you within earshot, not even _vampire_ earshot, if they're hopin' to get into your bed, Viking."

"And yet _you_ insult me. Aren't you hoping to get into my bed as well?" he asked with a devious grin as he started flooding me with lust.

I shifted uncomfortably and grumbled, "That's different." When he cocked an eyebrow at me, I added, "I know I can get into your bed anytime I please."

"You really believe that?" he asked, doubtfully.

"Yep, all I have to do is slip on a sundress and promise to let ya tear it off me," I pointed out.

Godric started shaking harder with suppressed mirth while Eric skeptically asked, "You truly think I'm that easy?"

"Or I guess I could just use the forbidden word," I stated meditatively, trying not to crack a smile when my bond with Godric literally felt like it was vibrating with his laughter.

"Forbidden word?"

I nodded, grinned mischievously, and whispered, "Master."

His fangs dropped and Godric broke, cracking up into the loudest laughter I'd ever heard from him. We both turned and looked at him incredulously when his laughter turned into a noise that one would expect from a hyena. He clutched at his sides desperately, like he was literally holding himself together so he didn't fall apart at the seams. When a blood tear fell and he snorted accidentally, we both started laughing too.

He tried to calm himself, made that hyena-like noise again, and finally stated, "She knows exactly what to say to you!" He bled another tear as Eric fell quiet, making us laugh that much harder.

When we finally calmed down, Eric asked, "Are you done?"

"Eric?"

He turned to look at me and asked, "Yes?"

"Your fangs are still out."

He growled in frustration and retracted his fangs while Godric cackled in the background. I smirked at Eric, who obviously could dish it out but certainly couldn't take it, and dropped an affectionate kiss to his cheek. He purred with surprise, apparently soothed by just that one gesture and hugged me closer to him.

Eventually, Godric managed to a slap a lid on it and Eric asked, "Ready now, master?"

"Yes," he said with a nod, his response sending enough relief through Eric for my lips to twitch, before he added, "Back to more serious matters, though that was amusing. I'm afraid we have a problem."

"And I'm afraid there's more than one," Eric rebutted. When Godric furrowed his brows at him, Eric looked at me quickly before looking back to Godric and stating, "Sookie read something disturbing from Compton's thoughts. Apparently, Sophie-Anne wanted to procure her for more than her telepathy. Her Majesty believes she can _day-walk_ if she drinks Sookie's blood."

Godric froze and his blood cursed, sending amusement skittering through us. I added to Godric's worries by saying, "There's more, Godric. After Eric drank from me during the exchange, he rose an hour early."

He sighed in frustration as he rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. Finally, he said, "We'll have to test it before we decide what to do about this situation. I'll drink from you before dawn and find out if it's true."

My blood instantly rebelled against the idea and Eric argued, "No, master, I'll do it. I'll burn slower if the theory proves false. You'll disappear in a cloud of ash instantly if it doesn't work."

Godric opened his mouth to argue with Eric when I quietly interrupted, "Neither of you will do it." They both turned to look at me in surprise and I explained, "Jess is joinin' our bloodline tonight. She's already gonna be inoculated against the sun if the myth is true and if it's not, I'll pop her back into darkness _the second_ she starts to burn. Hopefully, she'll wake up early, like Eric did, or it'll have to wait until the followin' sunrise."

"No, Sookie. I will-"

I cut Godric off and snapped out, "I don't have the extra blood to spare, Godric! Jessica needs whatever blood I can give her and she'll burn the slowest out of everyone in the bloodline. It is _my_ blood and if you truly wanna test it, this is how it'll be!" My voice took on a fiery edge as I nearly snarled, " _My decision is final_."

Realizing my glittery fairy ass was about to make an appearance, they both hesitated and looked at each other before reluctantly agreeing and pushing me acceptance.

"That would be an _amazing_ gift to give Jessica on her first day as your progeny, Sookie," Eric pointed out. "She hasn't seen a sunset in months."

 _Shit_.

I forgot about the gifts.

It was usually a rare event when someone new was accepted into a bloodline, so when that event happened, the bloodline usually gave the new progeny gifts. My silver dagger was my gift from Godric, as well as shares from his companies. I fought with him when he tried to give me the shares as well as a percentage of his net worth and we came to a compromise. I would accept the interest from the shares, starting with a bank account balance of zero, and one share per year on the anniversary of my turning. I refused the percentage of his net worth point blank.

Needless to say, I was already filthy rich.

Giving Jessica the sunset, however, was something no vampire could put a price on.

I smiled, liking the idea, and replied, "If the myth I heard from Bill's mind is true, we'll all get to see a sunset this week."

They both smiled as childlike wonder rippled through them before focusing once again.

A thought then occurred to me and I desperately wanted to snicker. Bill thought he could use me as his own personal sunscreen. Now, it was his progeny, Jessica, who was about to see her first sunset since her turning.

Karma was such a _bitch_.

"There's one more thing," Eric added and Godric braced himself, "Sookie drank from me twice tonight, yet I feel like I've had enough blood to quench my thirst for days. I told Sookie this and she voiced the possibility that her spark doesn't just filter the taste, but restores the _nutritional_ value as well."

Godric thought through it all and slowly nodded, "I can see why you would think that, Sookie. Thankfully, I see more positives than negatives in that situation. Obviously, we need to keep anyone from outside the bloodline from ever feeding on you, but we had planned on that anyway." I nodded in agreement. "Anything else?" When we shook our heads, Godric shared his own problem with us, "After you two left last night, I went through the evidence Sookie gathered. Pam does not know who the chancellors of the Authority are, so she hadn't recognized who they were when she came across three of their names…"

Eric suddenly tensed as understanding trickled into our bond, his body becoming as rigid as a board before denial ran violently through him. With a curt shake of his head, he said, "No. She's not in it, master. She can't be a Sanguinista."

"I'm as shocked as you are, min son, but she _is_ a Sanguinista, as is her mentor, Salome," Godric stated sadly, flushing Eric with strength as genuine fear lit up in his blood, the fear of _loss_.

Godric then tried to soothe away my shock, my body having stilled completely when Eric's fear hit me. His fear felt like riding a rollercoaster when the safety bar suddenly breaks, leaving me grasping desperately onto everything as I tried to keep myself from being thrown to my death from the violent ride.

I didn't think it was possible for Eric to feel fear.

Disturbed by the emotion, I reached out and snatched it, yanking all of it into myself. Eric twitched in surprise and turned his wide eyes towards me, whispering, "Sookie?"

"You're the strategist," I muttered, laying my head on his shoulder while I rubbed my forehead, feeling like the world around me had suddenly flipped upside down underneath the weight of his fear. "You can't think clearly, Eric, if you're driven by fear. I think I'll just keep it instead."

I felt Godric's amusement and astonishment briefly battle the fear weighing down on me, flabbergasted that I had managed to snatch all of Eric's fear and pull it into myself. Slowly, Godric used his blood to soften the blow, absorbing what he could while Eric raised his left hand and touched my cheek, caressing my face as he watched me face his fear.

Together, Godric and I slowly wore it down, draining Eric of it all. I hadn't stolen his capacity to feel fear, just the amount of fear he had tonight. Eric could potentially do the same thing to me by using our bond if he wanted, but my emotions were too intense, burned too much, in my fairy state for him to really help.

"Someone who battles your fears for you, Eric, truly loves you," Godric commented as I tiredly closed my eyes, slipping into downtime to unwind a little from all that work. I felt Eric nod in agreement and turn to press his lips to my forehead.

I smiled softly as he turned back to look at Godric when a thought suddenly hit me and I snapped back up. They both turned to look at me as I asked, "Pam didn't know Nora's name?"

I felt disappointment abruptly surge up in my bond with my maker and immediately flinched, belatedly realizing it wasn't directed towards me, but towards Nora.

Eric shook his head and quietly said, "I told Pam I had a sibling, but nothing else about her. Nora refused to meet Pam, claiming Pam's previous profession made her lowborn and unworthy."

My fangs dropped, making Eric's drop, as my emotions tightened in the blood, becoming more compact. I fluidly cracked my neck before concentrating on the insult paid to Pam. I snickered and asked, "Didn't Nora have the same profession, just higher up? In service to the king?"

Eric's eyes widened and Godric stilled before they both burst into fits of body-shaking, knee-slapping laughter. Their mirth increased my own, bringing my emotions back out and allowing me to retract my fangs. After a moment of their continued laughter, they finally calmed down and Eric met my eyes, retracted his fangs, and begged, "If you ever tell her that, lover, _please_ wait until I'm in the room for it. I'd love to see her face when she realizes she had the same profession as Pam." He then turned to Godric and asked, "Why didn't we ever think of it that way?"

Godric shrugged and guessed, "Status. Sookie is both a faery princess and a former waitress. Status doesn't apply to her, so she doesn't think in terms of it. To her, a shoe is still a shoe no matter whose foot it's on."

Damn straight. It didn't matter if one worked in a brothel and the other serviced the king, they still sold the same goods. One sold it for money while the other sold it for favors and land grants.

Unless sex drastically changed between the different social classes, I was pretty damn positive Nora was being hypocritical about Pam. Instinct told me it was jealousy keeping her from meeting Pam, not Pam's former profession. Nora had warmed up to me at first and I was a former waitress. Now I could feel her resentment mixed in with her other emotions, directed towards me in the tie, making it obvious it was my relationship to Eric, and thus Pam's past one, that made us into people she resented. No doubt she would try to tell Godric I was lowborn too.

Which would be funny as hell since I was Sky Fae Royalty.

"So what're we gonna do about the Sanguinista evidence? Just erase Nora's completely and hold onto Salome's until we meet with the Guardian?" I asked.

I suggested holding onto it until we could give it to the Guardian himself because she could always throw Nora to the wolves to get back at us. This way, I could literally glamour them all if I had to, though I'd prefer not to with the technology and amount of guards they were bound to have inside their complex. Hopefully, the Guardian would be inclined to grant Godric a favor (he was the eldest) and Godric could recall Nora to his side, temporarily bringing her home with us so we could deprogram her.

Eric hummed contemplatively and remarked, "That's not bad, Sookie. We could give him the third name and tell him we have another name, one that's local which we fear reprisal from and we want to hand it off to the Guardian ourselves."

"Salome would assume we meant your queen?" Godric asked, clarifying our combined idea.

Eric nodded, smirking, "She'd assume we erased her information to both protect Nora and to have Sophie-Anne ended. Switching their places, so to speak."

We didn't need to have Sophie-Anne ended. It looked like the Magister was soon going to take care of that little matter for us, especially if Nan Flannigan impeded Bill's death sentence. The Magister needed someone to punish publically for the V infraction, so one or the other would have to do.

"Is there any credence to the risk Salome would tell Russell what's going on if we didn't turn over that evidence?" Godric asked.

Eric thought about it carefully, evaluating the idea before slowly shaking his head, "I don't believe so, master. By then, Salome's main focus will be damage control. There will be so many Sanguinistas gathered up and turned in that she'll be running herself ragged trying to slap a gag on them all and keep them from leaking her name. If they force us to put our plans on hold and capture him for questioning, it wouldn't surprise me if she tortured him simply for pissing her off and gathering evidence on Sanguinistas."

I shivered involuntarily and they both dropped their gazes to me in surprise. "It was somethin' you said," I started with furrowed brows, thinking through his words. "Salome?" I asked, "The same Salome from the Bible? Who did the dance of the seven veils in exchange for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter?"

"The one and only," Eric purred.

"It sounds like she doesn't like gettin' her hands dirty," I added contemplatively. "Like she excels in seduction, in manipulation, but has others fight her battles for her."

"That is a very apt description of her, Sookie," Godric agreed and leaned forward, sensing I was on the verge of something.

I ran through Eric's words again, literally picturing Salome running around trying to gag a bunch of people, shaking my head slowly when I realized that image was wrong. She wouldn't flock to the masses… she would isolate one vampire, the most powerful one, and try to use him to her advantage. With a shudder, I pictured Russell making a deal with Salome, one she couldn't possibly hope to control, and Russell then getting everything he ever wanted, toppling the Authority from the inside, and establishing himself as a supreme ruler with a complex full of Sanguinistas just begging him for a chance to be released. I cringed at the thought of what Russell would ask them for in return.

 _He would have an army._

"What is it, Sookie?" Eric whispered, rubbing my arm soothingly as I met his eyes.

"Checkmate," I breathed.


	39. Chapter 39: Nothing More Sacred

**_A/N:_**

 _Hey, hey readers!_

 _I wasn't going to post this until after my legs felt a bit better (I had two procedures in the last week and a half), but I'm in a celebratory mood. My birthday was earlier this week and I thought I'd gift you all an update! Don't be like Canon Sookie and refuse my gift. It'll make me drop fang and hiss._

 _This chapter is a wee bit shorter than the last two. In fact, it's normal-sized! Don't worry though- I'm sure you'll get another Viking-sized chapter soon._

 _In this chapter our favorite vampires are about to move the pieces around in our chess game. They'll be working through Sookie's little epiphany and figuring out their next move. Next chapter Bon Temps gets a look at Faepire Sookie out in public. About time, right? And, finally, the members of the Authority have returned. Apparently Nora talked them into coming back._

 _I'm still not sure if that's a good thing._

 _They're feeding right now (remember when I said I'd have to bribe them?), so they won't be making an appearance for a couple chapters. But, honestly, who wants them around when we're opening gifts anyway?!_

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I do not own True Blood or Southern Vampire Mysteries. Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, and HBO do. Yet, that didn't stop me from wishing I did when I blew out my candles._

* * *

I could feel myself becoming more predatory as soon as the word left my mouth, the vampire in me rebelling against the idea that these two ancient vampires were not just manipulating me into getting what they wanted, _but my entire bloodline_. My emotions rapidly tightened, nearly fading away, and my shoulders dropped, loosening up as my muscles relaxed. Everything around me came into focus, becoming sharper, crisper, as my vampire senses drank in the world around me. Godric eyed my predatory stance, immediately going on full alert while Eric fruitlessly tried pushing me reassurance. The only thing that kept me from bottoming out, from fully becoming my inner predator, was reminding myself of the incredible threat my kin were now facing.

"What do you mean by that, Sookie?" Godric asked.

I vamped to my feet in a blur, reached across the table to snatch up the Smartboard console, and quickly flipped it on. Godric taught me how to use the Smartboard back in Texas and had a new one installed in our day-rest area. As it loaded, I looked back to the two of them and said, "If that happens, Russell wins." My voice got quieter as the bright future I once envisioned suddenly became much darker, more sinister, "And we _all_ lose."

"How?" Eric asked, confused.

I ask a question of my own in response, "Who is Salome's biggest competition?"

"The Guardian," Godric replied instantly. "She's the leader of the Sanguinistas and he's the leader of the Authority."

I nodded slowly, thinking everything through, and pulled the electronic pen from the console. I walked up to the Smartboard and drew a large rectangle, demonstrating the Authority's complex. At the center of it, I drew one circle, labeling it "G" for Guardian before drawing another with an "S" for Salome.

"Where do they keep the prisoners?"

"Underground, Sookie, on the second level down. The entire complex is set up underneath a useless building," Eric answered as he slowly stood up, watching warily as I fluidly made the rectangle 3D and added the underground layers. Godric joined us too, standing to my left as he watched me fill in a series of cells, adding dozens of faces inside them and labeling it all, "Sanguinistas."

"Interrogation rooms?"

"The main floor, child, where they hold their meetings," Godric informed me.

I added a few rooms along the perimeter and slowly began filling them in on my thought process, "What Eric said about Salome runnin' around tryin' to gag them, it's wrong. She doesn't like gettin' her hands dirty. She'd seek out one person and make a deal with him, she'd seek out the strongest of the group."

I then added an "R" to one of the interrogation rooms.

"Russell came to terms with the Sanguinistas, but ultimately wants to topple the Authority and establish his own regime. Salome would approach him, since he's one of the strongest vampires in the U.S. and claims to be her ally, and make a deal, believing savin' his life would indebt him to her- that she could suddenly control Russell if he were caught. So, she'd ask him to take out her biggest competition."

I drew an arrow, moving Russell from the interrogation room to the conference room where I redrew his circle and placed an X over the Guardian's. Godric and Eric stilled as their emotions suddenly scattered into static, exchanging worried glances over my head. With every word I spoke, I could sense the vampire, the predator, stirring inside them too.

"But Russell cannot be controlled. He would take the Guardian out for his own purposes and turn on Salome, either ending her or forcin' her compliance. He seems to prefer the latter when it comes to vampires. He could easily end Sophie-Anne, but he wants to maneuver her into marriage instead. After takin' out the Guardian and turnin' Salome into his asset, he would take control of the complex. If these prisoner cells are full, he then has _hundreds_ of Sanguinistas he can draft into his _army_ , promisin' them their release in exchange for their service," I finished, drawing a king's crown on Russell's circle.

"Checkmate," Eric repeated, feeling oddly numb.

"What was it that made you think this way, Sookie?" Godric asked, a little awe leaking into his voice.

I looked at Eric, who looked kind of pale even for a vampire, before I turned back to Godric and explained, "What Eric said about Salome runnin' around gagging them all- it suddenly painted the picture of an army stuck in a prisoner-of-war camp. I shuddered at the thought of either Salome or Russell gettin' their hands on an army of Sanguinista vampires." I turned back to the Smartboard, pressing my finger to the touchscreen and drawing a circle of a different color around Russell as I added, "The story in the Bible, it was enough for me to glean a pattern. All of us follow patterns without realizing it and those patterns become very obvious to a telepath. This pattern trails all the way back to Salome's human days. It's the dance of the seven veils all over again. She plans to seduce Russell, the king, with an offer of freedom under her service, asking for John the Baptist's head," I circled the Guardian next, "in return for her performance. What she doesn't realize is Russell isn't the king, he's the snake in the garden of Eden. She can no more control him than she can the devil. He'll turn on her and destroy the Authority completely before makin' deals with the Sanguinista prisoners, makin' them attack humans out in the public to start a war-"

"Why would he do that? We would be _hunted_ ," Eric snarled, feeling murderous. He hadn't been immersed in Russell's mind like we had, so he didn't know what Russell was ultimately trying to accomplish. With the way Eric's mind worked, though, I had no doubt he would've picked up on it after just one conversation with Russell.

I turned to Godric and he shook his head, waving at me in permission. It appeared my maker was enjoying my show-and-tell time and was letting me reveal what we learned from Russell's mind as well.

"It's his plan, Eric, his big, grand plan. What did he accomplish by gettin' his werewolves involved in WWII?" I asked.

"He enmeshed himself in the war, inserted himself in humanity's affairs to worsen the conflict. He wanted to cause as many human deaths as possible," he stated, having actually lived through that nightmare. I really didn't want to be the witness to another world war. We _had_ to stop this from happening. He looked at me while he considered everything he learned over the years and slowly concluded, "He was hoping vampires would take control if it escalated, wasn't he?"

See? I knew he'd figure it out.

I nodded and explained, "If he gets vampires, his Sanguinista allies, to attack humanity, it drastically worsens the tension between our races. He firmly believes that if he can provoke humanity into attackin' and targetin' vampires, that our race will rise up and snatch control away from humans, thus saving our planet and resources from what he is sure will one day be extinction if humanity remains in control."

"And if we capture him, Salome will set him free. He'll destroy the Authority, form a dictatorship, and start putting that plan into motion," he surmised and I nodded. "So, what do we do? If we don't give the Authority the Sanguinista evidence, Salome won't be distracted. She could warn Russell about tomorrow night."

Would she though? For some reason I doubted it. She needed Russell to end the Guardian and we had just unknowingly given her the perfect excuse to pull him into their headquarters.

Trusting my instincts, I slowly shook my head and stated, "She already knows we'll be tasked with capturin' him. She's already doing another dance, makin' sure Russell is brought in so she can make a deal with him and have Russell bring her the Guardian's head. She won't tell Russell because she _wants_ him to be indebted to her."

"Salome is known for leading interrogations," Eric said, thinking quickly and moving pieces around on his mental chess board. "She will approach him during his interrogation, forcing him to choose between helping her or torture and death."

I sighed and pointed out, "The problem is Nora. If we turn in the evidence, Salome will know we know about Nora and that we would never turn her in. She's hopin' Nora's participation will mean we'll side with her, but she'll turn her in if we don't, knowing Nora would never give up her mentor. Nora is check, Russell is mate."

We both fell silent for a moment, furiously thinking about what we could do to stop Salome from making such a huge error, and both of us were, sadly, at a loss. Eric's mind positively whirred as he thought through all the possibilities and discarded one strategy after another, unsatisfied with the inevitable results. There were too many factors, too many risks, and having Nora under her control allowed Salome to block his every move. Something in my bond with my maker then caught my attention, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I looked up at him in question, wondering why it felt so warm.

"I'm glad I can still teach you both a few things," he said with a wink and I laughed, relief briefly surging up in my blood, once I realized he knew what to do. "Sookie, now that we know the moves of the other side," he explained, flushing me with gratitude, "we meet them with our own offensive. We tip the balance in the other direction."

He took the pen from me and started crossing out all of the prisoners. Then he added the rest of the Authority Chancellors to the board, marking who were Sanguinistas and who believed in mainstreaming, leaving a small group who went with the status quo. Finally, he added the three of us to the board, placing us in between Russell and the Guardian.

"We start," Godric began, "with taking away his army."

"But if we don't turn in the evidence on the Sanguinistas, Salome might get the chance to warn them. They will go to ground," Eric pointed out.

Godric flushed Eric with his agreement and added, "Which is why we give the evidence to the faction in support of mainstreaming, but not to the group as a whole tonight. We explain what's going on and let them take care of the Sanguinistas while we focus on Russell and Salome." He put a circle over the "D" written on the board and suggested, "Personally, I think we should give it to Dieter Braun. He's completely loyal to the Guardian, does not take the Book of Lillith too literally, and excels in getting…" he grimaced, "confessions."

"How do you plan to get the evidence to them, master?" Eric asked. "We're not supposed to know their identities."

I purred when it hit me. Godric's lips kicked up at the intensity of the delight in my blood and nodded. I turned to a confused Eric and hinted, "I get to call in a favor."

I may have been a little too excited about that fact. I'd never had a powerful ally before and the predator inside of me loved the idea of the Magister doing something for me, no questions asked.

Eric chuckled and commented, "Somehow, I think you'll still have your favors left by the end of the night. He's going to take this favor as a favor _to him_ , Sookie, when you reveal you're trying to keep the Guardian alive and in control."

"But why don't we just give it to the Guardian then?" I asked. I then answered my own question before either of them could speak, "Let me guess, Salome has seduced him."

Godric grinned at me while Eric nodded and explained, "She did that particular dance centuries ago, lover. She's been sleeping with him for years."

Surprise suddenly echoed across my maker bond and Godric asked, "And how do you know that, Eric?"

"Nora is not my only contact on the inside," he reluctantly replied.

Was he seriously not going to tell us who it was? I cocked an eyebrow at him, reminding him I could just peek into his head, when he suddenly gave me a dark look, his face practically shouting _Just try it, Sookie!_ His look alone made me realize he must've promised never to reveal this source to anybody, reminding me again with his sheer determination why it was I loved him. Since I loved that sense of honor he had so much, I kept myself from peeking and promised, "I won't scoop it outta ya." He relaxed instantly as surprise fluttered across our bond. I pushed reassurance and love his way as I admitted, "I love your sense of honor, Eric. I won't make you break your word."

I suddenly found myself being passionately kissed for that admission. When Godric coughed pointedly, trying to refocus us, Eric gentled the kiss and pulled back, whispering, "Thank you."

After leaving me breathless, which always cracked Godric up because I didn't need to breathe, Eric took a step back, putting some much needed space between us. His lust was literally pulsing in the bond and it took everything I had to focus on Godric's plan again. Eric chuckled, pushing me friskiness, but stopped when I gave him a warning look, realizing he was about to be smacked.

"Eric, you will have to sell your role," Godric commented. "Even though we now know we will only be tasked with capturing Russell, you must play it up, act as if you thirst for his death."

Eric nodded slowly, shooting me a glare when I snickered. Somehow, I didn't think it would be difficult for Eric to really sell the fact that he wanted Russell dead, though it wasn't so much that he actually thirsted for Russell's death as it was that he thirsted for peace. He hadn't felt at peace for over a thousand years now, all because of Russell. Eric promised his father vengeance, but he hadn't been able to collect it yet.

Knowing how much Eric's word meant to him, I also knew that Eric would never truly let himself be happy until he could fulfill his promise to his kin. He wanted to enjoy life, I would even say he thirsted for it _more_ than he did for vengeance, but that would never happen until he could lay his family's memory to rest. More than anything, I hoped Eric could be happy once everything was said and done. I looked back up to the board as I thought this, my eyes landing on the three circles Godric drew, and realized I wasn't the only one hoping Eric would finally start enjoying life. Godric yearned to see Eric embrace it fully too.

That's when it hit me. _We_ were the second part of Godric's plan. He was going to give Eric the opportunity to end Russell Edgington, the opportunity to fulfill his vow so he could start enjoying life again.

But how would we get Russell to the Authority to begin with?

"Master?" I asked, nearly making Eric's fangs drop with the title, " _How_ will we capture Russell Edgington?"

Godric fell silent as he thought it through, turning to an equally quiet Eric for suggestions. A memory suddenly hit me from Eric's mind, which I accidentally picked up on because I was in it. I stayed quiet as Eric replayed the conversation he watched on the monitors in Fangtasia, zeroing in on Russell's fondness for unique blood. An insidious idea then began to form in his thoughts. My emotions vanished, disappearing completely while I listened to him think and I languidly stretched my body. He glanced at me, realizing the vampire in me had fully emerged, and I was sure he would've paled if he could.

"Just because I thought it, doesn't mean I'd do it," he immediately explained.

" _Nonsense_ ," I purred as Godric furrowed his brows, noticing I had bottomed out and not liking it one bit, "I think it's a _wonderful_ idea."

Caution and wariness creeped into our bond as Eric met my eyes, trying to figure out if I was serious or if I was about to snap. Part of me loved that he was nervous. He had just thought about feeding me to Russell Edgington, about _manipulating me,_ so he deserved a little punishment. Another part of me reminded me I was in love with this man, that he would never hurt me, and even if he had carried out that plan, Eric still would've found a way to keep me safe.

We just stared at each other for a tense moment, evaluating each other, before another emotion surfaced in the bond. I suddenly found myself entrenched in his fear all over again. With the reminder of what happened just minutes ago still fresh in my mind, I delved into that fear and analyzed it, realizing Eric was afraid of losing me. I made a quick decision after I felt it to move past his momentary lapse in judgment and explained what I meant when I said I liked the idea, "We just present it in a bottle instead of from the tap."

Sensing I had picked something up from Eric's thoughts, Godric asked, "What is she talking about, Eric?"

Eric searched my eyes for a minute, letting the room fall back into silence, before swallowing needlessly and thickly whispering, "Her blood."

Godric turned back to me with a hardened expression and quietly scolded, "The blood is sacred, Sookie."

I nodded in agreement, which only seemed to confuse him, and softly pointed out, "What is more sacred, master, than the love of family? I offer up a bottle of my blood _out of love_. I will help Eric capture Russell because I love him and what Russell did haunts him. I also do it for my bloodline, because we need to stop Russell before he triggers a war that ends the vampire race. That ends the ones I love."

I was completely rational in my vampire state. Godric was under the impression I had just made this decision out of desperation, but that wasn't true. Eric was the one that _needed_ this, not me. I was willing to do what was necessary to help him, to protect him, and those we loved. There was nothing more sacred than love in the entire world and if my decision to use my blood was borne of love, not hatred or anger or the need for vengeance, then I was right to make that decision. I wasn't being rash and my calm, collected answer gave him pause.

His face softened considerably as he took in my reasoning while Eric stared at me with a new intensity, our bond literally thrumming with how much he loved me at that moment. Godric weighed my offer carefully before whispering, "You will have to _feel_ him."

"I can shut the tie down," I responded. I had enough control to do that and he knew it. I then highlighted the pros of the idea, "He will feel drunk, master, incredibly drunk. I can use the blood he drinks to dampen his focus. Amp up that drunken feeling." My voice then got softer as I added, "Filter his pain out of his bond with Talbot so Talbot doesn't suspect something's amiss. If he plants wolves outside, I'll sense their connections too. Keep Russell from callin' them to his side."

Unable to argue with all of those points, Godric focused on the technical aspect, "Russell knows your scent-"

"Which I'm able to alter," I cut in. "I'll remove my scent completely while I fill the bottle up, alterin' it slightly so it smells of fairy blood instead of vampire blood. When I'm done, I'll start filterin' my scent again. The bottle will smell delicious and I will smell vampire."

"And where will we say we got fairy blood?" he asked, grasping at straws. He really hated the idea of my blood running through Russell's veins.

I looked up at an unusually quiet Eric before turning back to Godric, "You say Eric brokered a deal through a shifter who sometimes makes his monthly run with fairies. You say he paid an arm and a leg for it."

"And what happens when he realizes a tie was formed? That an unknown vampire's blood began manipulating his bloodstream when he drank from this bottle?" he asked, already knowing what I would say.

"Master," I said gently, "you and I both know that if he thinks he's drinkin' fairy blood, it won't even occur to him to search his blood for unfamiliar ties."

Even at 3,000 years old, Russell can't look for something he doesn't believe exists. He wouldn't analyze what my blood was doing to him if he didn't know my blood was there. In a weird twist, I had accidentally stumbled upon the one time a vampire's blood could actually retain that viciously manipulative quality it had towards humans against another vampire.

If I could feel, I probably would've felt shock that I had actually learned something from Bill Compton. I probably would've been even more shocked that what I learned was helping me protect my loved ones. It was ironic, to say the least.

Godric closed his eyes in resignation, realizing that there was nothing else to say. The decision was made.

"Is there an alternative, master?" I asked, needing him to be confident in my choices. "If there is, I will follow your lead."

He opened his eyes slowly, the bond once again filling with warmth, and crossed the few feet between us to gently cradle my face in his hands, whispering, "Sookie, I am proud of you. I am over 2,000 years old and, for the last millennia, I truly thought there was nothing left for me to learn, yet you teach me something new every day. In all those years, it never occurred to me that there was something more sacred in this world than our blood. You haven't made this decision lightly and I know it comes out of a place of love. And you are right, there is nothing more sacred than that. So in this case? I follow _your_ lead, moder." [mother]

I closed my eyes, needing to feel emotions in that moment, and remembered the first time Godric told me he would be my father, my brother, and my son, embracing the hope and sense of belonging I felt after I rose. When I opened my eyes again, a blood tear spilled over and Godric caught it with his lips. I wrapped my arms around his waist and he quickly tucked his own around me, giving me a gentle squeeze as I flushed our bond with love and gratitude.

"Thank you," I whispered. He squeezed me gently once more before slowly pulling back and giving me a nod.

Godric turned, catching Eric's eye, and asked. "Can you think of an alternative?"

Eric studied me for a moment while he thought. Finally, he asked, "What about your light shield? Would silver disappear if you held it?"

I nodded, but Godric quickly shot down the idea, "Russell is intrigued by her. If she isn't present, he will suspect something is amiss. Anything else?"

"No, master," he said, resignation lacing his tone. "I got the idea from the bottled blood Russell served you. The only other thing I can think of is something neither of you would accept." When Godric raised his eyebrows at him in question, he reluctantly explained, "If it were just me in this position, I would use his love for his progeny against him. Besides his arrogance, it is the only other potential weakness I see. I would destroy him by destroying Talbot."

I was in front of him milliseconds later, not liking this at all. He looked down at me with an unreadable expression and I reached up with both hands, gently resting my hands on his cheeks and stroking his skin with my thumbs.

"Going after his kin, Eric, would turn you into Russell," I said evenly. He flinched at the idea, locking his body down so that it was imperceptible to anyone not touching him, and reflexively grabbed one of my wrists. "You're better than that. Don't become the monster you're fightin'. I was inside Talbot's mind, Eric, and he is innocent in this. He didn't even exist when Russell did what he did. Don't punish an innocent for a monster's mistakes." I pushed my faith, love, and overwhelming conviction that he truly was better than this into Eric while I spoke.

"Why do you have such faith in me, Sookie?" he murmured.

I trailed my hands down to his chest and placed them over his heart, admitting, "Because I've seen this, Eric." His brows furrowed while he slid his hand up from my wrist and covered one of mine with his. "I've seen your heart. Your strength, your loyalty, your honor, your passion, your drive- each and every one of these things stems from your heart. It's an amazin' thing." I smiled softly, adding, "From day one, you tried to make me yours, but seeing your heart is what made me yours, Eric. So, _please,_ don't damage it."

The bond warmed with a torrent of lust and astonishment as Eric slowly settled his hands on my hips, pulling me against him while he lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine in a tender caress, literally showing me how much he cherished me with the gentle, sensual movements of his lips. I was making all too happy vampire noises by the time he pulled back, tempted to pop him to my room and make him run those gentle lips up and down my body. He chuckled, feeling my frisky urge, but embraced me instead of teasing me, tucking me into him and pressing a kiss to my forehead before whispering, "I love you."

I took a small step back, meeting his eyes, and asked, "So no more talk 'bout Talbot, right?"

He nodded, soaking our bond with agreement and acceptance, before looking at Godric, stating, "But that leaves just one idea. As much as I hate the fact that Sookie's blood will run through Russell's veins, I can't see a way around it, master."

"Then it's done. Sookie will use her blood," he whispered before looking back up at the board. I slowly turned back around while they spoke, facing Godric too. Eric gently wrapped his arms around my waist so that my back rested against his chest as he thought through all the angles of the plans we were setting into motion.

"So we capture him and take away the risk that he could gain an army, letting Salome believe nobody is onto her yet," Eric said thoughtfully before asking, "but do you have a plan on dealing with Russell inside the Authority?"

"My blood will help there too," I reminded them, "so I'll be aware of Russell's pain, or lack thereof, during his interrogation. I'll also be able to alter his level of focus again."

Godric nodded slowly, turning to face us, and said, "This is where the real risk comes into play. I know you are hesitant to glamour vampires, Sookie, but there's a chance you may have to glamour everyone by the time we're done."

 **EPOV**

I knew I was a lucky a vampire when Sookie agreed to be mine, but I didn't realize just how lucky until this very moment. A part of me had known she would risk her life to save those she loved, but I hadn't yet realized that applied to me as well. I just recently found out that she loved me, so it came as a surprise when I discovered what lengths she would go to _for me_ and I found myself extremely humbled by her. This beautiful creature was willing to bleed for me and I now knew without a doubt she would also go to the ends of the earth for me.

She was willing to open herself up to someone we all despised just to help me.

If I wasn't whipped before, I was _definitely_ whipped now. Strangely, I found myself okay with being whipped. If this was what Sookie was willing to do for me, how much she loved me, then she could crack that whip at any time and I would welcome it with open arms...

Hell, I'd even purr while she did it.

The second I realized Sookie had picked up on the plan I was picturing earlier, I knew I was once again in deep shit. I made a vow to myself the night she returned to my area that I wouldn't manipulate her anymore, yet the first time I had difficulty coming up with a plan, I lapsed back into the urge to do that very thing. I already knew the second I started to think it that I couldn't actually do it, not when her life had already been twisted up in so many manipulations. Acting on that plan would hurt her and I loved her too much to hurt her in such a way. I dropped the thought instantly, afraid I'd lost her the second it entered my mind. Instead, she took my foolish idea and enhanced it, coming up with a way for us to disable Russell without literally letting him feed on her. Using glamour was another option, but we couldn't confidently make that plan because Sookie wasn't sure if she could glamour someone so old.

If I had bothered to finish playing out my earlier idea, Sookie would've realized that if Russell fed from her, I would've had to as well. I would've enticed him with the idea of daywalking and met the sun with him while Pam and Godric revived her with blood. I would've sacrificed myself to end Russell and keep him from being taken to the Authority, keep him from starting another war or killing anymore innocents like my family. If Russell ever realized just how unique her blood was, though, he would've targeted her from that point on. Ending him would've been the only option, so I would've embraced the sunlight happily to keep Russell from ever having the opportunity to go after her. My only hope would've been that, someday, Sookie would forgive me for the manipulation after I met the true death.

Sookie would bleed for me and I would burn for her.

What she came up with was fucking brilliant. I knew Godric was hoping Sookie could learn strategy from me, but that very notion cracked me up. From the moment she came back to my area, Sookie had proven herself every bit as strategic I as I was, she just specialized in the behaviors of others instead of ploys of manipulation. Her ability made her uniquely suited for recognizing people's true motives and her thought processes had evolved to the point where she didn't even need to hear their thoughts anymore to recognize them. All she needed was a pattern. She then combined those motives with creativity, thinking outside the box whenever she made a decision. By doing that, she saw things Godric and I couldn't. She found solutions Godric and I couldn't.

Neither of us had seen what Sookie had when it came to Salome. We would've ended up turning Russell over, right into Salome's eager hands, unknowingly tipping over a domino that would've ended in one hell of a mess. We would've sealed our own fate.

Godric took over from there and helped us form a plan to get around Salome's hold on Nora. He had a knack for seeing the bigger picture, a skill he had perfected by watching countless battles firsthand over the years, including the one that led to my turning. We listened carefully to his ideas and started planning out the finer details involved in capturing Russell and dealing with the Authority.

With a tentative game plan in mind, Godric cleared the Smartboard and turned back to us, "I brought the evidence home with me when I left the bar. I will make another copy and write a letter to Chancellor Braun. You two call the Magister."

We both nodded and Godric retreated to his office. Sookie turned around to face me as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the business card the Magister gave her. She read it and snickered, "His real name is _Jorge_."

I grinned, loving how amused she was by it, and pulled out my cell phone. Sookie's cell was still upstairs, so I quickly dialed the number and waited for it to connect.

"Sherriff Northman, what can I do for you?" he asked as soon as he picked up.

"Magister, I'm with my sister, Sookie. She says she needs to call in a favor," I said, biting my inner cheek to keep from laughing at her when I felt how much she fucking loved hearing the Magister owed her.

The other line fell silent for a second before _Jorge_ chuckled and asked, "Calling in a marker already, is she?"

"Yes, she is," I admitted with a chuckle of my own and winked at Sookie, smirking when she blushed in the blood. "I have a feeling you'll want to hear this one though. We're meeting with the Authority tonight at midnight. She would like to know if you can meet with her afterward."

"At Fangtasia?"

"Yes, Magister," I replied.

"I'll be there," he said and hung up.

Sookie muttered something about vampires having poor phone manners and asked, "Ever have him owe you a favor, Eric?"

"I can honestly say I haven't, Sookie," I admitted, slipping my phone back into my pocket. Actually, it was astonishing that Sookie had managed to garner even one from him, let alone the two he promised her; one for gathering evidence from the wolves and one for retrieving Bill Compton.

"There's no way he could be a Sanguinista, right?" she asked. "He likes his power. He wouldn't have it if the Authority fell."

I nodded in agreement, confused for a second about why she would even consider it, before I realized where she was coming from, "You're worried he may be one because of Jessica."

She bit her lip and nodded, "It was a callous thing to do, kidnappin' a teenager like Jess and forcin' an unwillin' maker on her. I just wonder if he can do that, can he be a part of the Sanguinista movement too?"

She did have a point. What the Magister did was extremely callous and in his position, I would never have done such a thing. The vampires in our bloodline took the role of a maker very seriously and we believed only the willing should take progenies. We also followed the belief the best progenies would be ones we felt the pull to.

On the other hand, the Magister needed to try something different with Compton. Bill had caused too many problems already in his vampire life and the Magister thought forcing him to become a maker would settle him down. Jessica had not been chosen on accident, though, and she was obviously picked for her potential. Her gentler nature and concern for others showed me the Magister chose carefully when he selected her, purposefully avoiding someone with more violent urges. I had a feeling he hoped her younger age would inspire a fatherly side in Compton, one that would push him to take care of her. He failed with Compton, but he unknowingly succeeded with Sookie.

"He's not a Sanguinista, Sookie," I promised her. "I've known him for many years and I assure you, there's nothing he hates more than a traitor." She smiled tentatively and pushed me trust, willing to take my word for it. "You are right, though. It was a callous thing to do, but I know she wasn't picked on accident. He thought carefully before he chose her."

She tilted her head slightly, considering my last statement. Understanding then rose in the bond and she came to the same conclusions I did, "He hoped Bill would treat her like a daughter."

"He failed with Compton, Sookie, but he was right when it came to Jess. You feel a pull towards her, which means she was meant to be vampire," I pointed out. "Are you ready to be a maker?"

She grinned, her excitement literally pulsing in the bond, and replied, "To be _a_ maker? No. To be _her_ maker? Yes, I am." My lips kicked up and I pushed her pleasure. She then muttered, "That reminds me," and vamped out of the room.

I didn't even have a chance to raise an eyebrow at her disappearing act before she reappeared and tucked a folded piece of paper in my hand. I opened it, confused to see a check for over $50,000. Then I remembered I told Sookie she could pay me back for all the work done to fix her house and said I'd stick it in a trust fund for Jessica. She must've gleaned the amount I spent from my thoughts and dug it out of a memory.

Godric came back in while I thanked her and tucked it into my wallet, sticking a sealed envelope inside his inner jacket pocket. He paused a moment, sliding the black leather jacket on, and asked, "You two ready to head to Merlotte's?"

"Yes," I answered, thinking about whether I could get that fund set up before the ceremony tonight, and asked, "Can we head over to the club an hour early? I'm going to call Cataliades and have him meet us there." He raised an eyebrow at me when I said the daemon lawyer's name, so I added, "I need to set up a fund for Jess."

I was seriously tempted to push him one of Sookie's emotional eye-rolls when his expression morphed into a shit-eating grin, realizing I wanted Jessica's gift to be ready for when they rose. He nodded, still flashing me that irritating grin, so I gave him a warning push that told him to be wary because I knew where he lived. He chuckled, turned to a giggling Sookie, and asked, "Can you teleport us both upstairs at the same time?"

Sookie nodded. Godric turned around and pulled on a light fixture on this side of the wall, shutting us in, before turning back and offering her one of his hands. She quickly laced her free one with mine and popped us into her foyer. When she let go, she said, "I just need to grab my cell," and popped away again. Back a second later, she led us both outside.

Godric reached into his jacket pocket for his keys while Sookie shut the door, pausing to look up at me when I slammed our bond with mischief. I slowly grinned and asked, "Why drive, Godric, when we can fly?"


	40. Author's Update- Not A New Chapter

Author's Update- Not A New Chapter

I'm desperately hoping that all of you didn't get your hopes up when FFn sent out the latest alert. If you did, I am so sorry, but this is not a new chapter. I noticed the other day that there's been a huge influx of new TPMK followers over the last two months, so I just wanted to let you all know what's going on in the world of TB Viking Addict and what my plans are for TPMK.

If you guys follow me on WP or have read my A/Ns on my other stories, then you guys probably know what's going on already and can skip this. For everyone else, I wanted to let you all know that I _do_ plan to finish this story (even though it's been over a year since my last update). _However_ , it's been temporarily benched for now.

Yeah, I know, there's a bunch of sharp, pointy stakes out there with my name on it. I may have even sharpened one for myself (because I totally deserve it, lol). Before you stake me, though, let me fill you all in on why TPMK has been benched.

Here's the deal- my notebook's broken and I, foolishly, didn't back up my notes and chapters on a USB. 2016 was a really bad year for me, I literally had some type of medical procedure every single month last year, which is why I went MIA on all of you. I was just too drained from all my medical stuff to write. The procedures have finally slowed down and I'm getting back into the swing of writing again, but it's been so long since I looked at TPMK that I don't remember what all of my plans were for the plot. I've got those plans saved on my Notebook, but I can't do anything about it until I take it in to get fixed. I already know what's wrong with it, I just need to take it in. Unfortunately, that won't happen until I can somehow scrape the funds together to pay for the repairs. I'm in the process of trying to get disability, so that's likely not going to happen anytime soon.

I know, it totally sucks, but that's life. I just wanted to let you all know why this story's on pause when a different one is still getting updated (SOotS). Wisely, that one's been backed up since I was using my phone to write it.

I've had a couple followers ask me if there was a way to help me scrape those funds together, so I set up a donation link on my WP blog. If you feel like making a donation, then you can find it on the sidebar of my homepage. The web address is TBVikingAddict. wordpress. com (no spaces). Whether or not you donate is up to you. I'd be very grateful if you did, but I also won't be offended if you choose not to. It'll just take me longer to get my Notebook fixed.

 _Stepping Out of the Shadows_ followers- I'm way behind on the latest chapter. I caught bronchitis (I seriously can't seem to catch a break on the medical front), so it might be another week before I can get it posted. It's about halfway done. My hope is that I'll start feeling better soon and that I'll get it posted by next weekend. I have a feeling I'm going to end up at the doctor's tomorrow, though, so we'll see.

And that's it! Thank you, my amazing and loyal followers, for taking the time to read this. Hopefully, the next time you hear from me, it'll be in a post with a genuine chapter.

-TBVA


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